What's for Dinner #150 [old]

[roxlet]

With temperatures in the northeast promised in the high 80s to 90 for the coming week, it's time to break out those summer meals. We started last night with a favorite meal from the days when we would spend every weekend on the North Fork of Long Island in a town called Mattituck. Yesterday, my son and I blasted out there for the day and bought the makings of our favorite meal: thick sirloin sliced over the local arugula that is so fresh it turns the water green when you wash it.

What hot weather meals are you making for dinner?

[LindaWhit]

Just noticed we're WELL over 300, so I've started a new thread here:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/855152

[LindaWhit]

Bacon. And I'm not talking Kevin Bacon. Although he's not too shabby.

I'm talking bacon cooked to the right crispness but still with some "chew" to go into a BLT. Or, actually, a CBLTw/C. That's a Chicken, Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato w/Cheese.

Dinner last night at NYAJ's was a Turkey BLT on ciabatta. It was good. So good, I'm going with it again tonight. Some leftover chicken will be thinly sliced, and added to a bacon, lettuce, and thinly sliced tomato with some cheese. The lightly toasted sourdough bread slices will be schmeared with a sriracha-garlic mayo (couple of Tbsp. of mayo, a couple of drops of sriracha sauce, and some finely minced garlic).

Potato chips alongside (instead of the french fries I had with dinner last night). And wine. And much thankfulness for air conditioning.

[steve h.]

...chips. must have chips.

[LindaWhit]

Ridged chips. Only ridged chips.

[rabaja]

I am suddenly less excited about my lamb stew...

[LindaWhit]

LOL! Lamb stew is more appropriate for your chilly weather, rabaja! The CBLTw/C is working right now for our heat and humidity.

[steve h.]

only ridged chips? no. that's like saying only blondes.
diversity is the essence of chips.

[LindaWhit]

Ridged. Sturdy. Strong. Stand up to dips. Give the right "bite" when you bite into one.

As for blondes? They can change their hair color with a bottle. Non-ridged chips can't be anything but weaklings.

Ridged. ONLY.

[steve h.]

steve is softly chuckling to himself.

[mariacarmen]

as is mc. i like the delicacy of non-ridged. but your CBLT, Linda... oooh, that sounds good. with the sriracha mayo? man alive, woman.

[LindaWhit]

It was messy 'cause I put lots of sriracha mayo on the sourdough slices. But that's what napkins are for. ;-)

[mangiare24]

"Non-ridged chips can't be anything but weaklings."

Not true if you buy the kettle-cooked types. They are a sturdy breed.

[LindaWhit]

True. But their formation tends to be abby-normal - so they are not good for appropriate burger topping placement.

My undying love for ridged potato chips remains unwavering. Just like my devotion to Chef Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain. ;-)

[rabaja]

This morning our plan was sausage and peppers, on the grill, with homemade whole wheat rolls and spicy mustard. The cold weather has me re-thinking this, however.
I just pulled out 1.5 lbs. of lamb shoulder, cubed up for stew. I'm hoping I'll get inspired by my farmers market today, and will probably throw in a bit of hatch chile from the freezer as well.
My fingers are freezing as I type this, what happened to our sun?

[Harters]

I'm sort of reassured that it's not just in the UK where it's cold.

Yesterday - lovely weather - we ate lunch & dinner on the patio.

Today - cold and rain. This does not bode well for my plans for the next few days.

[rabaja]

It was the same here, Harters. Yesterday was warm all over, even in the city. Today, breezy and only 54F here in Marin at 11am. They say showers are possible for tomorrow.

Hope your plans sort out. Our biking, gardening, grilling weekend plans are up in the air at this point too.

[LindaWhit]

I so wish I could give you some of our Boston heat to even it out!

95°F
98° F RealFeel temperature

[mariacarmen]

oh, didn't see this before i posted mine. really, rabaja, rain? phooey! summer solstice is a big fat lie around here!

[mariacarmen]

yep, first day of summer yesterday was gorgeous. today it's Juneuary (as someone here cleverly said) again in San Francisco....

[scubadoo97]

What happened to the 90+ temps? I only packed for warm weather :-(

[rabaja]

So sorry, Scuba!
I was thinking of you today!
It's supposed to get better up there, in the 70's at least.
You may need to hit the outlets for some sweaters...

[scubadoo97]

We were monitoring the weather station up to the day we left and Wed it was down right hot for this Fla boy. Then it changed. At least it's not raining. Have a fire place in the cottage so pretty toasty at the moment. All's good. Having a wonderful time

[Bacardi1]

With yesterday's temp hitting 98 with a heat index around 105, cooking was the last thing I wanted to do, yet I didn't really feel like just a salad. Local market had a really nice array of shrimp sizes on sale, so I bought 2 pounds of 16-20's & had the market steam them "extra spicy". Brought them home, chilled them, & served them with Gold's Cocktail Sauce & a small green salad. It was perfect.

[mangiare24]

What a great idea Bacardi1. I will mentally file that one for the hot days ahead.

[gingershelley]

Wow, Bacardi, wish my local market would steam shrimps for me - especially if they could do spicy!
Good cold meal on a hot day!

[Harters]

Bargain basement Cumberland sausages at Casa Harters tonight. Spotted them on the "use today" shelf at the village convenience store (75% off marked price). They'll go in the oven where, for the last few minutes of cooking they're get coated with with a sweet/sour Chinese flavoured rhubarb sauce that I found lurking in the freezer (and, no, I can't remember making it at all - but it's marked "would be good for sausages). There'll be spuds and whatever veg or salad I can rustle up from a fridge raid.

[twodales]

Wish we could find Cumberland sausages here. We can get decent bangers these days and sausages are becoming more interesting in general...but no Cumberlands.

[Harters]

I rarely buy supermarket sausages these days as there's always very good stuff at farmers markets. That said, herself's favourite is a shop bought one - http://www.porkinson.co.uk/about-pork...

[twodales]

I have looked for a decent recipe for Cumberlands online but no luck.

Norman Parkinson? Well who knew!

An acquaintance of ours has done the same here. http://spencerfoods.com/
There is also an interesting pie shop now too: http://pleasanthousebakery.com/
And I can buy Greek Yogurt the last few years as well.

Now I just needsome decent tea and a Marks & Sparks for a few goodies and we will be good to go

[JungMann]

When I eat Cumberlands, the first thing that really hits me is the black pepper with hints of sage and nutmeg. With American breakfast sausages, the herbs are usually what get you first, but these are prominently peppery.

Coincidentally, given the EU talk above, I found the rest of the ingredients from a PDO application on the European Council's website. Very coarsely minced pork with fat bound with rusk, ice water, seasoned with white and black pepper, thyme, sage, nutmeg, mace and (surprisingly) cayenne. The butcher where I buy Cumberlands sells them fresh and, if I'm craving them on the go, wrapped up in puff pastry for a killer sausage roll.

[twodales]

Nice! I found some bangers made locally by a nice Irish chap by the name of Diamond. I split the skins and put the sausage into puff pastry. They are pretty close to the ones I've had in the UK. I love them as a light lunch on the weekend or at cocktail do's in the Autumn and Winter.Not many Yanks have had them around these parts.

One day I will give the Cumberland recipe a go . So clever of you to check the EU web site.!

[Klary]

last night I literally had 15 minutes to make dinner, between coming home from work and the husband having to leave for a meeting (this left us with 20 minutes to eat).
I chopped up some oyster mushrooms, fried them over high heat in a tiny bit of oil, and when they were crisp put them in a bowl and mixed with beaten eggs, grated gruyere and fresh thyme, and this became a nice omelet.. cooked in a large pan so it was thin and cooked fast.

Meanwhile, tore up some old bread and toasted this in a small frying pan to make croutons. Added some pine nuts to this to toast.
A bag of salad leaves, a chopped up ripe avocado, some sliced smoked chicken, a lemon mustard vinaigrette.. piled the croutons on top.. Dinner was ready in exactly 13 minutes.

[GretchenS]

Wow, impressive and sounds delicious!

[mariacarmen]

i love the sound of that omelet - good job!

[GretchenS]

Today I made the Chicken Salad with Anchovies that lemons posted on a different thread. Sounds odd, but I love all of the ingredients and needed to use up some rotisserie chicken so I went for it. Great on Ak Maks with some capers on top and a simple side salad with radicchio and endive and other bits and pieces. Full report on the chicken salad here for anyone interested: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8511... Oh and a G&T with extra lime to accompany, perfect on this hot, steamy night.

[weezieduzzit]

The man and I have been so insanely busy and tired lately that neither of us realized that today is the 20th until this afternoon..... out 4th anniversary! I guess I should make something nice...... :)

[GretchenS]

Happy anniversary, weezie! And many more....

[steve h.]

First day of summer, 4th anniversary.
Happy Anniversary!

[LindaWhit]

Happy anniversary! You could always wait until the weekend to celebrate when you're less tired, right?

[weezieduzzit]

Thank you all. :)

I just had that thought, too, LindaWhit. I just sent him a text about anniversary thai food (we have a killer thai place right down the street that is owned/ run by the nicest family.) I can make something special this weekend.

[LindaWhit]

Anniversary Thai food sounds perfect. :-) Enjoy!

[gingershelley]

Great call on going out Weezie, and happy Anniversary and first day of summer to you and your DH!

[mariacarmen]

wow, congrats! hope you did it up right and enjoyed!

[weezieduzzit]

Thank you, we did! It was outstanding, as usual, and the portions so generous that I was able to take my leftover beef salad and mix with with a chopped up head of romaine for lunch today. They have really nailed the dressing- the perfect balance of spicy sweet salty. I behaved myself and didn't have thai iced tea... it was hard!

[Klary]

congrats weezieduzzit! Hope you had a nice dinner together!

[weezieduzzit]

Thank you Klary!

[rabaja]

Congrats weezie! Thai food sounds perfect for a busy, mid-week celebration.
Just think, you get to cook something memorable this weekend and spread out your celebration.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

A really simple dinner tonight. Turkey dogs, "grilled" in the broiler, served up on sourdough rolls with only the simplest ketchup/mustard/relish condiments, 'cause I don't feel like going to the store. A quickie potato salad with green beans, tomato and balsamic on the side. Maybe some blackcurrent iced tea with lemon.

[bblonde]

Simple dinner tonight. Grilling some sirloin steaks, baked potatoes, salad with blue cheese dressing.

[dianne0712]

Tonight is peanut ginger pork with mango-cucmber salsa and green beans with lemon butter and toasted almonds. Unfortunately I had all this marinating before I found out I'd be alone for dinner, so now I'm having a coffe on the deck and perusing Chowhound instead of cooking! I'll cook later....

[GretchenS]

Welcome to WFD, dianne0712, that sounds like a fabulous dinner, whoever bailed on it will be sorry indeed!!!

[LindaWhit]

Peanut-ginger pork? Recipe, please! :-)

[mangiare24]

Well, since it will be about 90 degrees at dinnertime here in NJ tonight AND one end of the light fixture in my kitchen decided to fall out of the ceiling a couple of days ago (repairman not coming until Friday) I do NOT want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. That said, I am thinking of doing a plate of scrambled eggs with Parmigiano-Reggiano, salad and sliced avocado with lemon, olive oil, s&p. I have a nice olive bread in the freezer and will probably pop a couple of slices in the toaster to go along with it.

I just have to include a picture of how I have the light fixture propped up until the repairman comes. Assembling this "structure" took about 5 minutes of very quick thinking and running around the other morning before leaving for work. I'm kind of proud of myself! lol :)

[mangiare24]

Have to add this picture to complete the one above. :)

[LindaWhit]

Absolutely INGENIOUS, mangiare! ::::Applause:::::

[mariacarmen]

a marvelous structure! quite the engineer you are. i would have probably tried duct taping it, to come home to a smashed-up light fixture on my floor.

[mangiare24]

"i would have probably tried duct taping it,"

That occurred to me mariacarmen, but unfortunately it's a "popcorn" ceiling in the kitchen and there is no way that any tape would stick to it. But that's probably a good thing now that I really think about it.

Thanks everyone. I did feel kind of like MacGyver after assembling it.

[boyzoma]

I think even my DH who is an architect would be proud!!!! Way to save the kitchen so you can at least still cook (as long as you don't bump the structure).

[mangiare24]

"Way to save the kitchen so you can at least still cook (as long as you don't bump the structure)."

Thanks! That's my big fear so it's a good excuse to cook a light meal, especially in this hot, humid weather.

[GretchenS]

Impressive engineering, mangiare, and yummy sounding dinner!

[steve h.]

I would have taken the fixture down. Don't know if that was an option. If the damn thing was stubborn, I'd simply rip it down and move on.
Having said that, your cure is far prettier than my brutish approach.

[mangiare24]

Taking it down is way beyond my scope of mechanical aptitude and ripping down a $300 light fixture and maybe damaging it is not an option.

[steve h.]

Keep us posted.

[gingershelley]

Last night was going to be chicken n green chili burgers with a friend at Zippy's Giant Burgers (in the top ten SEA burgers, and a mile from my house:), but she had a sick child so canceled.

Couldn't get that green chili out of my mind, so made my favorite chili relleno with a zippy tomato sauce and some leftover refried beans I had in the freezer. Avocado and tomato on the side.
Hit the spot..

We are having a mini 'heat wave' of two days here today and tomorrow - all the way to the upper 70's! Woohoo. I know, don't laugh all of you in the nearly triple digits....

I think today will be a picnic dinner down at Alki beach, so pulling out all the fancy cheeses that need using up, some of my fab Bin5 loaf, olives, leftover baba ganoush, stuffed grape leaves, some sliced chorizo and salami, grapes, melon with proscuittio. That ought to cover it!
Get a nice bottle of something minerally and white at the fancy grocery near the beach, spread the cloth, and let the people watching commence!

[mariacarmen]

Alki Beach - appropriately named to go with your "something minerally and white" - enjoy, gs!

[gingershelley]

Ha haha MC, tho it's pronounced alk-eye, not al-key... too funny! Another one of our many NW Indian names for places around here. Like Puyallup, Semihamoo,Tulallip. Love to hear people from out of town pronouce them - it's a local sport to laugh at the out-of-towners who mess them up:)!

[LindaWhit]

I've been to the Alki Beach area - Salty's is a restaurant there, isn't it? I *liked* that area!

(And my brain still says "Ahl-Key", not "Alk-Eye")

And gingershel, if you ever get to MA, we've got a few towns that I'll expect you to try to pronounce: Peabody, Quincy, Worcester, Swampscott, Methuen, Haverhill, Gloucester.... :-)

[Harters]

Haha. When we were in New England, we kept seeing all the British town names and wondered if they would be pronounced the same - certainly found a couple that weren't.

[steve h.]

Whus'tah, Pee'-bah-dee (sort of like puberty but entirely different).
How's that?

[LindaWhit]

Nicely done. You could be a Red Sox fan yet, steve. ::::ducking::::

[kubasd]

we'll take him, right LW? :P

[gingershelley]

Ah, Got it!

[gingershelley]

LW, having summered in Britain in my teens, some of those names I think I know how to say, but what ways are there to say "Peabody" other than Pea-body?

[Harters]

Concord is the one that threw me.

That's Concord as in conquered, not con-cord.

And I bet Berkshire is pronounced as its written and not Barkshire as we'd pronounce it in the UK

[LindaWhit]

Exactly, Harters. *Not* like Concorde, the supersonic plane. And yes, Berkshire is exactly as pronounced.

[steve h.]

Berk'-sheer, Khan'-cud.

[LindaWhit]

I'm tellin' ya steve - you'll fit right in up here. ;-)

Except I think it's BERK-sher. Not sheer.

[steve h.]

nope. folk in western mass. say it different. i used to visit the berkshire eagle back in the day. it was a sturdy paper with a strong voice and a proud local presence.

[LindaWhit]

Ahh. Well, I'm not often in western MA, so I'm going with the eastern MA pronunciation. :-)

[mariacarmen]

we have an East Bay city here by that name - Concord. No one says Con-cord, they say conquered here too.

eta: oh wait, are you saying in the EU they say Con-cord? that would make sense....

[steve h.]

The EU seldom makes sense. When it does, they issue a correction.

[LindaWhit]

::::giggling::::

[twodales]

*hearty laughter*

Gawd, some of the silly stuff they get up to in Brussels.

[twodales]

Um Harters? Could you please pronounce "Beauchamp" for me?

[steve h.]

yeah, at the same time, ask the harters to pronounce marylebone. We'll save the Scottish stuff for later.

[twodales]

Cracking up here steve!!!!!!!

[LindaWhit]

Peabody is pronounced "PEE-buh-dee with a major emphasis on the first syllable, and secondary emphasis on the third. Not like Mr. Peabody and his Wayback Machine.

[roxlet]

I love Mr. Peabody!

[steve h.]

and his pet boy, Sherman.

[twodales]

Don't forget those "Fractured Fairy Tales"

[steve h.]

the best.

[mangiare24]

Ah, the dulcet tones of Edward Everett Horton. What a great cartoon series.

[gingershelley]

Alki is the 'beach boardwalk' of Seattle - the area where everyone rollerblades, drives their cars up and down, plays beach volleyball, and oggles all the passersbye...

excellent evening of that, most of it in the end from a GF's balcony who lives on second floor right across from action-central. SO happy it is HER that has to put up with that every day, and I can just 'drop in' for a bit of the noise and action while drinking wine and watching all the people - then retreat to my peaceful quiet neighborhood a few miles south!

Love to come pronounce all those with you LW sometime!

[LindaWhit]

Agree with you, gingershel - it's nice to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. :-)

[mariacarmen]

in the fridge right now are chunks of b/s chicken thighs, marinating in a blend of 5 minced garlic cloves, a thumb-sized chunk of minced ginger, toasted and ground sichuan peppercorns, unrinsed fermented black beans (and no salt added to the chicken at this point), granulated garlic, a large pinch of toasted hot chili flakes, a little shaoxing wine and even littler toasted sesame oil. i don't know what to call this, and i don't know what i'll do with it (stir-fry, prolly) but i'm not home for dinner tonight nor tomorrow night. i'm hoping it'll keep til Friday night. survey says? it's in the coldest part of the fridge....

[rabaja]

I'd call it delicious!
I think it''ll keep fine, doesn't sound like too much acid in there...I marinated breast and thighs overnight for our udon dish and one thing I did yesterday was drain the marinade off early in the day.. It had gotten quite thin and watery overnight and I didn't want the meat sitting in that before cooking. My chicken was not frozen, but cryovacked Mary's, if that makes a difference.

[mariacarmen]

thanks rabaja - there's very little liquid, period, and yes, only a little of the shaoxing wine. but i was thinking more about if the chicken goes bad.... bought it yesterday afternoon, so in the fridge uncooked (but marinated) for 3.5 days? so i was thinking of freezing it tonight, actually, and then defrosting it Friday morning to be safe.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Last night I talked my boyfriend into letting me make the only fish dish he actually likes: fish and chips. So we broke out the deep fryer (aka cast iron skillet + regular slotted spoon + oil). He was in charge of the chips and I made the beer battered fish, tartar sauce and a lettuce-tomato-avocado-balsamic salad. A bottle of rose as we cooked, a bottle of malbec as we ate. Fish tacos for lunch today, from the leftovers.

[Harters]

The only improvement I can suggest, BBL, is a closer adherance to my national dish - malt vinegar instead of tartare sauce; mushy peas instead of salad. :-0

[BananaBirkLarsen]

We actually tried to find malt vinegar, but couldn't, so we had to settle for the next best thing. Mushy peas, I've never had, but I'll have to give it a try next time!

[steve h.]

Yorkshire caviar (mushy peas). Good stuff.

[Harters]

There's the apochyphal story of the quite posh politician going into a chip shop in his new working class constituency and, seeing mushy peas, said he was pleased they had guacamole in the north.

[steve h.]

lol. Speaks volumes.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

This reminds of the first time I ordered sushi at a restaurant. I was given a large dab of wasabi and, thinking it was some sort of Japanese avocado puree, I put the whole thing on a single piece of sushi...

[steve h.]

I've managed to disgrace myself in restaurants all over the world. Not "getting it" first time out is no sin. Rather, it's part of the fun.
As an aside, I used to sit at the bar at Sushi Yasuda when Yasuda was still there. He was a talker, made mighty-fine sushi and, perhaps, the best rice in all of Manhattan. I used to sit at his station. He coached me without me knowing it. Very cool. Every man needs an editor.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

I think the worst part was getting a giant mouthful of wasabi when I was expecting something a little more delicate! But I was a teenager and we all had a laugh about it and moved on. You're right, though -- it's all part of the fun, and I'm sure we have all needed a coach at one time or another!

[mariacarmen]

ACK!!!

[mariacarmen]

fish & chips and fish tacos - an embarassment of riches chez BBL!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

I went a little fish crazy at the store yesterday, I'm not gonna lie. I bought a big piece of salmon that only I will be eating, as he of the anti-seafood diet will not touch salmon, even when battered and fried (and why would I do something like that to salmon?)

[mariacarmen]

hahaha - i actually had, at a nearby very frenchy mussels place, fish and chips made with salmon and other non-typical fish. actually quite amazingly delicious!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

In that case, perhaps I should consider it!

[mariacarmen]

just keep the batter light, so it doesn't clash with the richness of the salmon. but of course, being frenchy, they served it with a wonderfully garlicky/lemony aioli.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Ooh, man, that does sound good.

[boyzoma]

Just an FYI - I really don't care for fish in general (but love shrimp, clams and fish/chips). BUT I have one exception - Salmon with maple glaze. Can seriously eat that stuff. You might see if he will at least taste a bite of that. I never would have thought of it!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Ooh, I love salmon with a maple glaze! That's an excellent idea. I'll make some for me and if he wants some, well, there's enough for everyone.

He has said that he wants to try more fish (other types of seafood, not a chance, but he's willing to give fish a shot). But he seems to be more okay with the idea of plain-tasting white fish rather than salmony tasting salmon (which he refers to as "cat food"). But perhaps with some maple... we shall see, we shall see.

[LindaWhit]

And if he likes maple and ginger? Try this salmon recipe - it's my favorite way to make salmon:

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

[Klary]

thanks for that link LindaWhit! my husband loves salmon, me, not so much, and I'm always looking for new ways to prepare it that will appeal to me too. This sounds great.

[gingershelley]

I'm going to make this LW, with some of our copper river salmon that's on sale all around here right now - BEST salmon of the year. And I have a huge jug of grade B maple syrup I got for a song a while back, so perfect!

Thanks for the share:)

[LindaWhit]

You and Klary are both quite welcome! Don't be alarmed at the amount of ginger - it really does mellow. Grade B syrup is all I use as well, gingershel.

Oh - and please, for clean-up's sake - use that parchment paper. :-)

[JungMann]

Quite a wonderful array of recipes to inspire this week. I was tasked, however, with odds and ends this weekend after being left with quite a few ingredients from my picnic tourtiere. Leftover ground pork went in with a spicy Szechuan peppercorn sauce to make cold Szechuan noodles dressed with cucumber and cilantro. A couple thinly sliced pork chops are still marinating in carne enchilada spices to fry up for salads with a yogurt-based cilantro cream. Tonight, however, the heat wave descends upon NYC so the only cooking I can imagine myself barely tolerating is whipping up a custard to make ice cream to last me through the heat wave. Dinner, if I'm lucky, will be sausages from the delicatessen, bound with labneh, Sriracha, pickled shallots, celery and a hint of mint. Did I not have an evening of activities planned, however, you can bet that dinner would be little more than a pitcher of pina coladas and a date with the air conditioner.

[LindaWhit]

Sans the cilantro, the cold Szechuan noodles sounds very good, JM!

[mariacarmen]

damn, those cold noodles are calling my name.... but i'm off noodles for a bit.

[JungMann]

So am I. The ghost peppers I added to the chili sauce did quite a number on me...

[LindaWhit]

Tonight's dinner is OUT. Meeting up with a good friend at a very good local chain, Not Your Average Joe's. The Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps appetizers are looking very good (pre 9:00 a.m.) for what will be a VERY VERY hot day. A glass of wine is a given. For both of us.

[Harters]

A classic dish of the downmarket Britsh pub is gammon steak. Served with either a grilled pineapple slice or a fried egg. And chips, of course (that's Brit chips, not Yank chips). Done well, it can be quite nice, one of those combinations of pig and fruit that so often go together. Unfortunately, it rarely is done well.

Anyway, at Harters Hall, we put a spin on this. Instead of the grilled pineapple, I make a pineapple salsa - chopped pineapple, tomato, red onion, coriander, red chilli, lime juice. Other than that, it's pretty much as the pub food. Gammon steak cooked under the grill. Simply boiled Jersey Royals (must be getting to the end of the season now) instead of chips. And enough salsa to act as the veggie.

[LindaWhit]

I'm liking the idea of a pineapple salsa with the grilled gammon steak. Do you leave the ham steak without seasoning and just use the salsa as the "add" - or was it marinated prior to grilling/broiling?

[JungMann]

Whenever I hear of gammon steak I always smile to think of the "Goodness Gracious Me" sketch where a group of South Asians stumbling from the pubs decide to go out for an English, full of lager-fueled bravery, daring each other to eat "the blandest thing on the menu." Your prep, however, sounds quite flavorful.

[Harters]

JM

You're absolutely right. The pub dish is exactly on target as being the "blandest thing" - along with the scampi and the steak & kidney "pee".

Great sketch which accurately parodies Anglo attitudes to South Asian food at the time.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdo79z...

)

Linda - gammon gets cooked "as is" (see ref to "blandest thing", etc), although gammon is invariably quite salty.

[GretchenS]

Thank you for that Harters and JM, wonderful cringe-making parody.

[LindaWhit]

Dinner was quick and easy - a panino. I thinly sliced the rest of the beef tenderloin from this week. Schmeared some garlic-herb cheese on two slices of sourdough bread, layered on some of the beef, added some arugula leaves, topped it with the other sourdough slice. Buttered both sides of the outside of the sourdough, plopped it on the grill pan, weighted it with the press, and about 5 minutes later, I had my sandwich. Potato chips on the side. Oh yes. And some wine.

And another was just made for lunch tomorrow.

[roxlet]

Tomorrow begins our heat wave, and I'm already hot! I have lots of ripe avocados and the makings of guacamole, so that's what I made to go with some sliced chicken breasts seasoned with cumin and cayenne, lime and olive oil, and cooked on the grill. We have tortillas, so tonight is a no fuss, don't heat up the house kind of day.

Ours is a plasma, but we just call it the TV, and you'll like to know steve h, that the Yankees are behind or scoreless every time I reach the sun room where my husband is watching. As soon as my fanny hits the couch, they start scorning.

[steve h.]

When it counts, the Yanks know how to score.

[LindaWhit]

Both on and off the field.

[roxlet]

I know it's my fault -- my husband was out last night, and I watched something other than the Yankees :(

[mariacarmen]

i like that they're scorning.

[PHREDDY]

All of you are making me blush! (but you are correct!)

[steve h.]

Marseille-style shrimp stew tonight. It's a Melissa Clark recipe we cribbed from Food & Wine (http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/ma...) and use over and over again.
I purchased some jumbo shrimp from a commercial dealer so the product should be of high quality. Crusty bread is courtesy of Whole Foods, wine selection is under discussion. Yankees will be on the plasma. Deb is doing the heavy lifting so KP is on me.
PHREDDY: The Yankees have cut through the NL East like a hot knife through butter. The Mets have been huge beneficiaries. Baseball is a glorious sport. Enjoy your day in the sun.

[twodales]

That recipe looks great steve. The Brit is not a big seafood guy. Even shrimp. *Sigh*

Too many horrid fish meals at his "Harry Potterish" boarding school. I'm working on him, don't worry. Otherwise I'll make it when he is out of town or for friends and he will have to be polite and eat it anyway. *Wink*

[steve h.]

very cool.

[PHREDDY]

Where did you pick up the shrimp?
Do you think it is a good idea to wear my Met hat today?

[steve h.]

NewWave Seafood in Stamford, CT.
http://www.newwaveseafood.com/pages/a...
They also sell retail.

Wear your colors. Yankee fans are pretty tolerant (easy when you have 27 world championships). Have a great time at the stadium and report back on the food.

[PHREDDY]

The day was hot 95 degrees, fortunately not in the sun. The yankees loose. 6 hot dogs $36, 2 sodas $10 2 beers $17, 2 bottles of water $10, 6 seats $240 .....a day with my cuzben, mrsPH , his wife and kids .......PRICELESS !!!!

[bblonde]

Dinner tonight

Catfish marinated in some storebought bourbon marinade (meant for swordfish) with red onion jam (from Steven Raichlen)
Zucchini ribbons with saffron couscous
watermelon and watercress salad with ginger
maybe cracked wheat rolls from freezer
Trying to decide on dessert

Thunder UP!!!

[PHREDDY]

BB....doin' the fish thang 2nite.....roasted fliet of samon, with shaved lemon and lime peel, a little dijon mustard and s&p ; a drizzel of EVOO as it arrives at my plate....big pot of wild rice, ..... lentils (made with vege stock, onion, cilantro, red pepper, green pepper, white and green onions, some minced garlic and a touch of Jamaican Curry that I pick up locally).....Smackin' my lips!!!!! Next two days it is going to be a warm one in the Baked Apple, (SteveH going to the Yankee game @ 1PM with CuzBen from Seattle) after the game perhaps a barbe...with some beef ribs?...which are marinating as we speak....we will start with some ceviche with the salmon that is left over from tonight, some bruchetta, and some good feta cheese with black olives...suggestions for sides with the beef ribs?...Please...........

[bblonde]

When I do beef ribs I barbecue them like meatier baby backs and so my sides can be quite typical. They require at least one typical side or else at risk of becoming disoriented. My typical sides would be honey chipotle baked beans (http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/honey-chipotle-baked-beans-10000001206169/), a vinegar-based slaw, corn pudding (http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/corn-fritter-casserole-10000000689931/) or broccoli salad (I like this one because it's not as gloppy as the one with bacon and loads of mayo--quadrupled that recipe one time and don't think I can ever stand the sight again) http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/broccoli-salad-10000000577261/, or roasted potato salad (http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-potato-salad-with-mustard-dressing-10000001206167/).

For some fresher choices, I love grilled zucchini and squash, grilled asparagus marinated in chile-garlic vinaigrette (http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chile-garlic-vinaigrette-10000000335890/), grilled corn, corn salad (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/summer-corn-salad/), black eyed pea salad with sour cream dressing (http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/black-eyed-pea-salad-with-sour-cream-dressing-10000000226579/), white bean and asparagus salad (http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/white...). If it were later in summer and you could get some really ripe tomatoes, I'd put out a plate of beautiful 'maters doused with some good balsamic vinegar, fresh basil, and some olive oil, fresh cracked pepper and salt. Is it dinnertime yet?

[PHREDDY]

I have zucchini in the fridge ...possibly...but I'm going to try your version of the roasted reds....I have never tried that preparation.....so simple...meat, veggie, starch....thanks...
(of course we will have a "Ballpark" hot dog first!

[Uncle Bob]

A few sips of OGD 114 .........
Fried Gospel Bird.........
Fresh Crook Necks......
Fresh Berled Oak-Ree.....
Fresh Berled Kone......
Fresh Slices of D'mater, and Cukes.....
Fresh Slices of Cold Vidalia Onion.....
Fresh Pods of Cayenne.....
Fresh Baked Corn Pone.....
A Couple of Musgoes........
And the Little brown-eyed girl baked a Lemon Ice Box.......

[LindaWhit]

I got it ALL this time, Uncle Bob! :-)

[NoodleQueen]

I didn't :( What is gospel bird? A dove? Ha!

[LindaWhit]

I'm assuming it was fried chicken as that was often served on Sundays after church. But I could be wrong.

[boyzoma]

Tonight is going to be breakfast for dinner. I've already diced up red/green/yellow peppers, tomato, jalapeno, green onion, ham and some sliced mushrooms. Then I'm going to bake it into a frittata with a grated mexican blend cheese on top (kind of a western meets Denver style). There will also be some potatoes O'Brien and some maple sausage patties with toast on the side (for DH - I can't eat much bread). The egg mixture will have a little Dijon mustard as well as some Penzey's Mexican Oregano, some basil and garlic thrown in!

[rabaja]

Last night we had lamb lag steaks, off the grill, with bulgur, roasted beets, grilled zucchini and a scattering of chèvre. It was delicious, and it felt good to be cooking again.
I marinated the lamb steaks (two beauties, from Marin Sun at their Point Reyes Station store, where they offer so much more than what you find at the FM stand) in red wine, olive oil and pounded herbs and garlic. I also sliced a torpedo onion and threw it on the marinade, so I could sauté those later and add them to the bulgur. This all sat for four hours or so, before getting nicely chared on the grill. Perfectly med-rare to rare, I was so glad we didn't ruin them!
Each steak was easily a pound, and very tender. Made me remember how much I love the lamb.

Tonight I will make some udon noodle bowls, with grilled teriyaki chicken, mushrooms, summer squash and scallions. Some julienned carrots and corn off the cob may go in as well, along with cilantro from the garden. -My first time successfully growing this herb, I am stoked I don't have to pay for it this summer! I also can't wait for some plants to go to seed so I can have fresh coriander seed on some fish dishes next month.

This week is all about using up, and not spending too much, so tomorrow should be another adventure of freezer finds. Although I am ignoring the TJ's meatballs and Boca burger soy crumbles...what was I thinking on those days?

[twodales]

Still hot here so last night was a little gazpacho to start followed by grilled flank steak marinated in a homemade Hawaiian-Teriyaki-ish sauce. Grilled veggies and a little rice. More sauce, slightly cooked to a glaze drizzled over all. Followed up by fresh strawberry and cream cheese pie with a good dab of whipped cream. BTW: No gelatin in this pie. Fresh pureed berries and a little cornstarch cooked to thicken and then cooled before being poured over sliced strawberries.

Tonight will be pulled chicken, dilled potato salad and corn. Followed up once again with strawberry pie.

[gingershelley]

2dales, please send over a slice of pie! Yummers!

[boyzoma]

Sounds yummy, rabaja. Love the noodle bowls. It's so good. Always hits a comfort spot with me and I love what you added. Let me know next time and I would be happy to join you :-)

[gingershelley]

Rabaja, that lamb dinner sounds excellent. Like your sides - very Greek/Middle East.

Now your running 1/2 way round the world for dinner. Very nice. Glad your cilantro is turning out in the garden, I have no success with keeping it going, goes to seed too fast to be worth it since it is only 25 cents a bunch in the local market. Would be nice to cut at will, as you are getting to.

[mariacarmen]

that lamb sounds delectable!

[GretchenS]

Wow, in the last few days since I checked in you all have done some mighty fine cooking (150+ posts worth). I have made a couple of good meals, especially with some fabulous Berkshire (aka Korubuta) pork chops, which actually taste like pork ought to taste and also some spicy (from srichacha) 1000 island dressing that featured in burgers one night and wedge salad the next. Fish share today is hake :( which I will disguise in fish cakes and serve with a spicy remoulade sauce from Fish Without a Doubt and a salad.

[Berheenia]

Last night was easy - leftover pasta/spinach dish from Saturday and chicken and potatoes from Sunday with some brocolli crowns and tonight is a pot luck cookout and meeting at church. The next few days are challenging- CNN says 101 and the local weather folks are all over the place but 95 on Wednesday and 97 on Thursday are the lowest I've heard and the heat index is over 100. So we go from needing a light wrap to too hot to think in 48 hours. May have to go out to eat Wednesday and have doggy bag in the bedroom with the ac blasting on Thursday. Friday is back to only 90. Glad I didn't stock up last weekend.

[gingershelley]

Berheenia, Wow, that's some temp swings! I would be eating out too, if I was you. Stay cool!

[LindaWhit]

I'll be switching on the A/C tomorrow morning before I leave for work. The kittehs won't like having windows closed, but I think they'll appreciate not being wet dishrags by the time I get home from a dinner out tomorrow night.

[Berheenia]

We have to bring ours up from the storage area and stick in the windows- bye bey view of the flower boxes and hello street noise. Always wait until the laaaast moment.

[Klary]

Been away on vacation for a week.. last night was the first night back in my kitchen.
I made a stew of red onion, red peppers and eggplant, added some crisped chorizo, some turkish red pepper paste and let this all simmer away (also added some fresh thyme).
Then added a lot of (frozen) fava beans and let it all simmer some more.

Served with a fried egg because I LOVE chorizo with fried egg (runny yolk, please) and some calorifically unwise, but very delicious grilled goats cheese toasts. (Should have just made some couscous or rice for a side, but I had this craving for grilled cheese toast and it was very nice to dip the crusty, lightly charred bread into the saucy spicy juices from the stew).

Now I'm gonna read the rest of this thread to find inspiration for the upcoming week!

[Caroline1]

hmmmm... Never thought of it before, but has "dinner" yet been defined for the purposes of this thread? Anyway, when I'm going to be cooking messy, I often do it for lunch when the housekeeper is still around to mop up. So I've been debating with amazon.com lately over whether or not to buy a new deep fryer. The one I have sucks, so I mostly deep fry stove top. So I was thinking; optimum fry temperatures and recovery time are most likely best by deep frying in cast iron on induction. FYI they DO make induction deep fat fryers... In China! For commercial use! But does anyone make an induction Baby FryDaddy? O f course not!!! <sigh> So I got out my deepest cast iron pan and then Sabatiered a couple of potatoes for French fries and dumped them in ice water to get them in the mood.

Then I thought, whoa, Nellie! What are fries without a burger? Except I don’t have any freaking hamburger! hmmm... So I studied the interior of the refrigerator... A few fresh mushrooms I need to use up... Some boneless skinless chicken thighs thawing and almost soft... Spanish onions... Bell peppers... Deep fry? TEMPURA...!

So I whipped up my favorite super easy tempura batter (one part rice flour, one part corn starch, one part super icy water, and some Egg Beaters, mix dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients, combine wet and dry ingredients without overmixing, then just dip stuff and deep fry!) So that's what I did. I decided the chicken thighs would be best sliced into long thin fast-cooking strips, so I did that and set them aside to rest under some garlic powder and several generous grinds of sansho, aka "Szichuan peppercorns,” while I cooked the veggies. Time to crank up the Max Burton induction portable! The pure magic of cast iron on induction always amazes me. Oil nearly three inches deep was good-to-go in no time at all. Maybe four minutes? I did the veggies in batches, then did the chicken. Japanese Chicken McNuggets? Nah. These were Chicken Fingers for sure. Then finally the remaining tempura batter in droplets that puff and crisp instantly. So much better than the fried batter crumbles at Long John Silvers!!!

I needed a dipping sauce! Too late to mix my cherished REAL wasabi powder into a paste and have time to mature, so I grabbed an egg cup… dumped a goodly clump of wasabi powder in the bottom, a solid pour of soy sauce, nearly as much sake, and a heavy dose of freshly ground sansho! Stir well and dip away. Really nice! And contrary to some remarks in other threads on these boards, sansho/Szichuan pepper is NOT what gives great heat to Szichuanese cooking. It is peppery, in the way that black tellecherry peppers are peppery, but it has a very nice citrusy flavor to it. And it;s a dried berry, not really a peppercorn. Anyway...

Lunch was delicious! Or was it “dinner”? The kitchen was total peanut oil spattered chaos. And while I cooked, my VERY picky eater housekeeper made a run to Subway and brought back her lunch! She wouldn’t even taste the tempura, let alone join me. I think maybe it’s time to look for a new housekeeper…? But my kitchen is all sparkly again! And my poor arthritic hands didn’t have to do a thing. :-)

Oh. I forgot about the French fries, but after the housekeeper went home, there they were sitting on the counter in the stainless steel bowl full of no-longer ice water. I changed the water and set the whole thing on the induction burner. It worked! My fifty year old stainless steel mixing bowl is ferrous! Who knew? So there are some from-scratch mashed potatoes waiting for me in the refrigerator. Tomorrow is another day!

[LindaWhit]

Great write-up, Caroline. And the mess is EXACTLY why I don't home-fry. :-)

[Caroline1]

I think I just added a "fry room" to my dream kitchen: Similar to a walk-in, but all ceramic tile (floor, ceiling, walls, island) with a built-in deep fryer and vent system from hell. When I'm through frying I flip a switch just outside the door and the whole room self scrubs, dries itself and is ready for my next greasy whim. French fried watermelon, anyone?

[PHREDDY]

I have a bathroom like that....it takes care of the crap around
Me!

[Caroline1]

Is there room in it for a French fryer? '-)

[PHREDDY]

LOL! I don't think it is a good idea to fry after you come out of the shower naked!

[twodales]

Our "Froggie" friends that live about 40 minutes outside of Paris, have a contract. Whenever he makes frites, he is relegated to the garage by his Madame. She does not want the lingering smell of oil in her house. I can undertand that.

I probably fry 4-6 times a year...either frites or onion rings...or chicken for Hong Sue Gai. My way of battling the oil smell? A super-duper fan and candles. The candles are a tip from a Singaporean friend that fries alot of her food.

When we re-did our kitchen a few years ago I did my research and said I wanted a fan that would "suck the paint off of the walls", since my previous one never worked properly. I have to say: I Love my over-the-stove fan.

It's a Kitchen-Aid and the filters pop out easily and go right in the dishwasher. The rest of it is easy to clean too.

[steve h.]

+1

[gingershelley]

Apparently, some Ital-American households put a second kitchen in the basement of houses just for this kind of messy cooking so the 'real' kitchen could be used just for finishing and company...

Great write up Caroline - LOVE tempura, oh, and of course ALL KINDS of fried foods, but sadly, this too is why I don't make it at home very often. No housekeeper, and I HATE the clean up.

[Caroline1]

Thank you, every one of you, for the generous words. I'm glowing! I LOVE my "Chow Fixes" :-)

[boyzoma]

First of all, I loved your write-up as well! The meal sounds delish regardless of wether it was lunch or dinner (can anyone say linner?) lol. But secondly, can you send me your housekeeper next? I'd love one of those. I'd probably be cooking/baking even more!

[JerryMe]

Ha! Ha! Loved the story Caroline! Really? The French fries were totally forgotten?? That is too funny!

I don't have a fryer but I DO use my really deep cast iron for any deep fry and yes, it makes a mess. I'll debate whether I want to make that mess and 1/2 the time, make something else. So, do NOT get rid of your wonderful housekeeper! Maybe she just knew what tasks laid ahead of her and went for the Subway option and your kitchen is shiny clean!

Dinner, supper, lunch, breakfast, snacks - it's all good food and we love to hear your adventures!

Dinner last night was simply tuna fish salad as it was / still is so freakin' hot. 115F

I DID make the leftover watermelon into granita as dessert so we had a refreshing last course. As a side note, I drove to a Hispanic market today for cilantro and saw a back of the truck fruit stand that advertised "Sweat Watermelon" for various prices. I passed on those. I have enough sweat of my own, thank you!

[mariacarmen]

you need to keep that housekeeper - she cleans and she doesn't eat your good food!

[Caroline1]

For the record, I asked "The Housekeeper" if she hates it when I make big greasy messes like that. She said, "Not at all. It gives me something to do and that makes the time go faster." I have NEVER thought of cleaning up a greasy mess as making time go faster! Never ever ever!

So I've got the clean-up part of the problem taken care of, but there is still the fried-equals-body-girth problem to face. <sigh> In a perfect world it would be impossible to get fat... errrmmm.. Make that, "get fatter!" It's a lifetime quest. Possibly the true "Holy Grail." ALWAYS just out of reach. Damn... Where is that perfect world?

[mariacarmen]

it's over on mamachef's thread about fantasy food life.

[Caroline1]

Yeah, but so far it"s not working for me. :-(

[mariacarmen]

yeah me either.

[mariacarmen]

The BF made tostadas out of leftover carne asada that he seasoned with vinegar, a little chipotle, s&p,and refried black beans and queso fresco. on the side were little rounds of fresh, super juicy and sweet steamed corn on the cob. big salad on the side. whole thing was yum.

i've got this marinating right now - a much-touted-by-CHers recipe for broccoli: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/20/din...

i added a little more vinegar, salt, and sesame oil, and i used some thai toasted hot chili flakes we had instead of the regular chili the recipe called for. i'm wondering if the cumin will soften a bit during the marinade, as right now they're a little tough to bite into. so far, it tastes REALLY GARLICKY AND REALLY GOOD.

[scubadoo97]

Looks delish

[steve h.]

That's a fine looking meal.

[boyzoma]

That does look fantastic. I would love to be eating that.

[mariacarmen]

I had some of the broccoli for lunch today - really good though i think it could use a little more vinegar even. and though i chopped the stems up small, they were still a bit tough since the broccoli never cooks (when i steam my brocc i make sure my stems are soft.) so i think i'd leave out the stems next time.

[gingershelley]

After a snacker lunch of leftover homemade hummus, baba ghanous, roasted peppers, bits of grilled marinated lamb and more salad with the arugalu, dill, sherry-vinager plumped currants and pine nuts... did not think I wanted dinner. Oh, yes, but, I do!

So thinking about a charcoal grilled sausage with carmelized onions, mustard, and?. So one from the deep-freeze that was hand made by Han's German Deli - think it is a bratwurst. On the grill, lightly toasted garlic-rubbed roll, and some soft onions with some beer and caraway seeds.

Good ol' american salad of lettuce, kale, toms, cukes, avo, blue cheese and house viniagrette tonight on the side...

A movie, and some sleep. All this moving on stuff, and cooking for Dad has taken it out of me. I's tired!

[mariacarmen]

big hug to you gs. rest good!

[boyzoma]

+1 gs. Get some rest and make sure you take good care of yourself as well.

[gingershelley]

Thanks BZ n MC. You are too kind:) Feeling better today - tho wish the weather would get nicer, sigh.

[weezieduzzit]

Well, we bought another old hot rod car body this weekend (which we need like holes in our heads... but it has known dry lakes history and was much too good of a deal to pass up,) so the grocery budget won't be too generous this week! Salmon patties and a zucchini ribbon salad will do the trick tonight..... I'll be getting creative later in the week. :) Its super hot so light dinners are in order anyhow.

[steve h.]

"...we bought another old hot rod car body..." - very cool.

[weezieduzzit]

It's a '27 T roadster pickup... very cool. :) I'll send you a link to pics of the cars one of these days. I think you'd like them.

[steve h.]

Sounds great. Deb and I are regulars at the Pebble Beach Concours. I just registered today for the RM Auction in Monterey. We flit between RM and Russo Steele (muscle cars/hot rods). As always, Deb is under strict orders to sit on her hands. Car Week is pretty special.

[roxlet]

My husband goes to Monterey every year. It's a solo trip for him, and I like it that way :)

[steve h.]

very cool. I won't tell.

[gingershelley]

Oh! SteveH, then you would really like the new LeMay car museum just south of SEA in Tacoma; took Dad there Sat. before FD (he is one of those that reads Road and Track in the bathroom, has a Porsche as his second car, and used to race cars until I was a toddler... mom made him quit since he was a 'family man" then). It was AWESOME for a car buff. Our Concours is relocating from Kirkland WA to the LeMay starting this year.

[steve h.]

Cars, car shows, car auctions, car races, car museums: I love 'em.
Car folk, boat folk are really cool.

[weezieduzzit]

I changed my avatar pic to a close up of part of the man's roadster so you can see the style of hot rod. Very traditional lakester. The man is a very talented metal worker and car builder. I'll find a good pic of his chopped 49 Hudson to use one of these days, too.

And to keep this on topic... a new car being built always means lots of friends over hanging out which always leads to lots of late night barbeques!

[steve h.]

nice.

[gingershelley]

'like"!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Yesterday's 110 degree temperature made today's 100 feel positively cool so I'm firing up the oven for a fridge-cleanout meal of red peppers stuffed with wild rice, onions, garlic, vinegar olives, thyme and a more butter than I care to admit. I'll top with creamy havarti to melt once the peppers are cooked through. Over easy eggs on top of that, so the yolks drizzle down into the rice filling. Iceberg salad with an oil-and-vinegar dressing on the side, for a bit of contrast. Watermelon and lime sherbet for dessert.

[roxlet]

We still hadn't eaten the local asparagus from our trip out to LI, and we had some fresh peas left, and I was thinking shrimp, which we had in the freezer, so I went to EYB and searched my ingredients and wound up with a recipe from Lidia's Italy in America. The recipe called for the asparagus, mushrooms, which we had, and broccoli, which we didn't, so I substituted the peas and made it la kind of primavera. The shrimp were like a side component, breaded and pan fried. It was really delicious, and I will have to give this book another look.

[ChristinaMason]

That sounds very good. Assuming there was a sauce: what was in it?

[roxlet]

Well, you saute the veg in a combo of butter and olive oil, add some pasta water, cover and let cook, add some more water with the scallion, and cook that, and then throw in some butter and cheese with the cooked pasta, so it's really a very light "sauce." Cheese being served with the shrimp is very untraditional, but as I said, the shrimp were sort of on the side...

[gingershelley]

Delish, Rx, and I have to make more use of the 'search' component of EYB to help with the wall of books, and contents of the fridgerator. I would have never known about EYB if it wern't for all you here, so cheers, to a great meal. Fried shimp with a fresh veggie side sounds great.

[roxlet]

Fresh veggie and PASTA side! Or maybe the shrimp were the side!

[ChristinaMason]

Haven't had a chance to really grocery shop since getting back into town, so tonight was a quick curry using the contents of the crisper: eggplant, onion, scallion, baby carrots, broccoli, and tofu. Coconut milk and red curry paste, a little fish sauce, and that was dinner. Sriracha for me.

Sliced strawberries with a little strawberry-yogurt-shortbread ice cream for dessert.

[scubadoo97]

I love gathering up what ever is in the fridge and trying to make something good from it. Looks like you did a good job of it.

[ChristinaMason]

thanky! curry is pretty fail safe if you cook the components properly.

[Bacardi1]

Last night for Fathers Day I made us a nice big "SPLAT" (aka "S"teamed Shellfish "PLA"tter for "T"wo by a lovely seaside seafood shack restaurant we used to frequent). Consisting of two nice lobsters, a dozen Cherrystone clams, & 2 pounds of mussels, served with lots of melted butter with lemon & sweet bicolor corn on the cob. Yum!

(And since we had some steamed clams & mussels left over along with their Pinot Grigio wine broth, they're in the fridge & will go into a nice White Seafood Sauce over Spinach Linguini tomorrow night.)

For tonight we're having grilled turkey burgers along with some more of that delicious corn on the cob.

[rabaja]

So we had a fun, healthy weekend of eating and enjoying some sun. We've started biking about 20- 40 miles on the weekends, and we are both loving the exercise while spending time together.
Saturday we foolishly started a 32 mile ride at 10am, however, the day temps soared to 95F here. The last 45 minutes were a struggle. We must still be young and foolish though (ha!), as we showered and headed to Sonoma for a little wine tasting and fish tacos, where temps were more like 105F. By the time we got home we were dead tired and wiped out. It was one of those nights where the house didn't really cool off either, which made things extra fun.
The fish tacos were excellent though (El Molino), and I know our focus on enjoying them after our hard ride was the motivator to ignore the heat. A cook came out with his meat thermometer while we were eating (the only patrons there) and said it was registering 112F. In the shade. Oy.
Dinner that night was a steamed corn and zucchini tamale. Not the healthiest, but seriously all I could muster. Even the rose didn't help much.
Sunday we got a rotisserie chicken from the farmers market and snacked on that for lunch. Sliced tomatoes with basil and mozzarella and sautéed zucchini with young garlic rounded things out, along with a piece of seriously decadent porchetta. I need to try to make this dish, it was just heavenly.
The leftovers were gently rewarmed for last nights dinner too. And we broke out our first wedding gift to decant a really nice Imagery '05 tempranillo.
All in all, a nice weekend of eating, hopefully with enough movement to offset the calories.
Happy Monday, all. Guess I'd better actually cook something for tonight...

[mariacarmen]

that sounds like a great weekend rabaja, despite the heat.

[ChristinaMason]

*swoon* :)

[roxlet]

A lovely weekend -- despite the heat!

[gingershelley]

I hope for you both that the heat comes off the hills in wine country - how exceptionally hot!

Great you rode your bikes, despite, and good for you you didn't 'over cook' with all the heat around. What you made sounds delish, and trying to stay out of 'the heat' is all you can do - I know in the wine valleys, like here in SEA, you don't have much AC as don't need it usually. Stay cool, enjoy the wine and each other.

[scubadoo97]

Sounds like a fun weekend. We will be in Sonoma tomorrow for a week of wine and good food. Not much cooking for me for the next week.

[LindaWhit]

Enjoy your trip, scuba!

[scubadoo97]

Thanks Linda

[steve h.]

Have a great trip and be sure to report back to the San Francisco board.

[rabaja]

You are going to get really lovely weather, Scuba, enjoy!

Where are you staying? I can't recommend El Molino enough. Not only the best fish tacos I've ever had, but really great pork dishes and right now they are doing fun things with corn and squash blossoms. Tonight is the Farmers Market on the square, always a nice evening.
If you do want to cook, the Red Barn farm stand is open during the week, opposite BR Cohn off 12...maybe I should check out the SF board and see if you've posted, as I'm clearly getting ahead of myself here...

[scubadoo97]

Good to hear rabaja. Coming from Fla. I can handle hot but dry heat is not all it's cracked up to be. We will be staying in Sonoma for 3 days then on to Santa Rosa for 3. Have a cottage with full kitchen in both. Don't expect to be cooking much although I am bringing a knife just in case. Maybe making something for picnic lunches but will be eating out to try some of the local restaurants. Will start out at The Girl and The Fig. Hear it's good and it's our 30th anniversary tomorrow. Looking at doing wine/food tastings at a few wineries. May run down to Tamales Bay for oysters. As I look through our itinerary I'm seeing only wineries and restaurants. What's wrong with this picture?

[steve h.]

Tomales Bay is pretty special. Deb and I take a cottage on the water there every year: lots to see, lots to do if you like nature/the outdoors. We use it as a pivot-foot to Napa, Sonoma and the area. Driving the backroads/mountains is a hoot if you go for that stuff. Oysters at Hog Island is fun during the week, drinks and BBQ oysters at Nick's Cove is a decent fallback when it's raining.

[LindaWhit]

A happy 30th anniversary to you and Mrs. scubadoo!

[mariacarmen]

nothing wrong with that picture!

if you head into Healdsberg at all, check out Bistro Ralph.

The Girl and the Fig is good - tho it's been a million years since I went...

[gingershelley]

Sounds like a great trip, and happy anniversary!

My reco for Healdsburg is Barndiva... LOVE that place!

[mariacarmen]

yes! we had lunch at Bardivia and brunch at Bistro Ralph! loved both. the brunch was phenomenal.

[boyzoma]

AT DH's request, yesterday for Father's Day, I made a macaroni salad (with mini elbow macaroni, hard boiled eggs, pimento, dill relish and dill juice, mayo, mustard and salad supreme seasoning). To go with some delicious sweet corn on the cob and some jumbo cajun spiced shrimp on the BBQ. Simple, but delish!

Tonight will be leftovers from dinner out Saturday night (I have lots of spaghetti to eat).

[ChristinaMason]

macaroni salad....drool. your whole menu sounds good. i will have to try that Salad Supreme seasoning; I always pick it up, read the ingredients, debate for a second, and put it back on the shelf.

[mariacarmen]

oh man, i used to make this pasta salad when i was an older teen OVER AND OVER AND OVER again using that Salad Supreme seasoning! that and wishbone italian dressing, and it would be corkscrew pasta or sometimes spaghetti, halved mushrooms, chunks of red onion & red and/or green bell pepper. let the whole thing marinate and people ate it up! it was a totally inelegant pasta salad but we loved it. in fact, i remember when i moved my parents out of their home of 25 years 4 years ago, there were still old bottles of the stuff in my mom's pantry. probably still good! (tho i took no chances and threw them away.)

[boyzoma]

I'm sure it would have still been good, mc. And CM, I always keep it on hand "just in case" I need a little pick me up when I just can't decide. And gs - the shrimp turned out fantastic. 3 jumbo shrimp to a pair of skewers, sprinkled with some Worcestershire sauce and sprinkled liberally with Penzey's Cajun spice (for the two of us, I only did 9 shrimp since they were so big). The corn was also sweet and juicy. Perfect meal and a bottle of the "house" Yellow Tail Shiraz to go with made it perfect.

[gingershelley]

I LOVE me some old-fashioned macaroni salad Boyzoma, and the cajun shrimp has me at Yummers!

I would love that meal for FD...

[Harters]

There was loads of leftovers from yesterday's lamb dinner. We had the veggie stuff for lunch as a sort of salady concoction with some ham.

The leftover lamb will take its final curtain call for dinner. The gravy will have additions to turn it into a sort of BBQ sauce type thingy in which we'll heat up the slices of lamb. Jersey Royal spuds simply boiled. Veg of some form or another (no doubt from freezer or tin).

Fruit for afters.

[boyzoma]

"sort of BBQ sauce type thingy"

Sounds interesting, Harters. Good possibilities there!!!!

[Harters]

Any suggestions what we might bung into the gravy? You have approx. 50 minutes before it's cooking time at Harters Hall.

[LindaWhit]

Harters, assuming this is a regular brown gravy that you originally had for the lamb? I'm not sure how to BBQ sauce that up, but perhaps some cider vinegar and a healthy glug of Worcestershire sauce? I can't imagine adding ketchup to a brown gravy to make it more BBQ-like, though.

[Harters]

Yep, the lamb gravy - pan juices, flour, water.

Vinegar, Worcestershire and redcurrant jelly normally feature when we do this one.

[LindaWhit]

The red currant jelly would be a good add, but *maybe* some molasses for the sweet/tangy flavor of BBQ sauce?

[Harters]

Dinner just got stranger. I've just been reminded that we have a starter from our cookbook of the week. Which is "Spices, salt and aromatics in the English Kitchen", Elizabeth David, 1970. Yep, you just now this is going to be strange with a title like that. It's a peculiar mix of recipes, some dating to the 1600s and some whch seem to have little connection with spice, salt or aromatics. Just weird.

Anyway this weird dish is called "carrots stewed with rice". Deep joy, eh? Basically, you cut smallish carrots in half lengthways , simmer them with a little rice till both are cooked . Then mint and a lemon juice is added.

I tell you this honestly - I don't freaking want to eat it but herself says there just has to be something to eat from a David book. Classic and all that bollocks, you know.

[LindaWhit]

Well, the starter doesn't sound *all* that bad, but I'd view it as a side dish, not a starter.

Please let us know what both you and the Mrs. think after the noshing is done. Enjoy your "classic and all that bollocks." :-)

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Make it a side dish for sure -- this way you can sort of swirl in a bit of that gravy barbecue sauce for a bit of extra flavour. Rice and barbecue sauce is one of my favourite combinations.

[Harters]

We had it as a starter as had been suggested. It was the sort of dish that got British cooking a bad name 50 years ago. Even as a side dish it wouldnt have been much better.

On the other hand, lamb was lovely. And the sauce was pretty good - in went Worcestershire, fig mustard (found that in the fridge), splash of vinegar, a big splodge of a bottled BBQ sauce, and a good dollop of English mustard

[LindaWhit]

Liking the fig mustard and Worcestershire mix! Glad it turned out well.

[ChristinaMason]

nice sauce! are the bbq sauces in the UK as sickeningly sweet as they were in Germany?

[Harters]

Generally speaking, Christina, yes they are sweet. And invariably tomato based. I would love it if someone here started to produce my favourite (or favorite, even) South Carolina mustard based sauce.

[linguafood]

How about the old CH adage "why not make your own?"

But seriously. I bet you could whip up something better than what's available in those supermarket bottles :-)

[gingershelley]

Sounds very middle East, Harters, esp. with the mint and lemon juice.. be strong my man, and get through this 'book of the week'.

ED is a woman to be reckoned with, as for history of food, and all, but have not touched such an early book as you have - perhaps about the time she was living in Egypt. Could be a mish/mash of local and expat foods. Hope it was reasonable!

[MAH]

This weekend was great weatherwise. Friday night late dinner after work -- thinly sliced, shaved ribeye was turned into Philly cheesesteak sandwiches with onions, peppers and provolone on roasted garlic ciabatta. Saturday we grilled up our standard juicy cheeseburgers on whole wheat challah, grilled corn, grilled asparagus, steamed green beans and baked (packaged) onion rings on the side. Vanilla bean ice cream with salted caramel sauce for dessert.

For Father's day, the toddler and I made a southwestern quiche for brunch, along with freshly picked local strawberries (the best of the season). Went out for dinner to a new place that was quite good.

[scubadoo97]

Mmmmm....cheesesteaks

[relizabeth]

Chorizo seitan tacos with pineapple salsa. Pretty tasty.

[ChristinaMason]

Back in the kitchen after more than a week spent out of town catching up with family. To be fair, I did a good share of cooking while we were away--simple, homey food, mostly. We even made it through an entire box of "ugly" tomatoes purchased at the Des Moines farmers market for next to nothing.

Tonight, friends suggested catching up over dinner following our return, promising Taiwanese dumplings and sauces. DH and I made some lightly breaded pan-fried tofu batons with a red curry-mayo dipping sauce, salted steamed edamame, and assorted prepared nibbles for starters. A bottle of white and good conversation, and we were set. It's good to be home.

[roxlet]

I love that you guys cook together! My husband and I always cook separately.

[ChristinaMason]

He used to treat me like sous chef (too much time spent in the kitchen growing up?), then those roles reversed, and now we've reached a sort of equilibrium. I do the majority of the meal planning still. Which explains the crazy contents of that curry, methinks ;)

[roxlet]

The Father's Day honoree wanted to make his own dinner, so it was high temperature bird ala crapode with fresh sage leaves under the skin. That, and some delicious sweet corn was the sum total of our dinner tonight. Simple but good!

[mariacarmen]

what. the. hell. is. a. crapode???

sage under the skin sounds yummy, but ... the question remains!

[gingershelley]

Hahaha I like Roxlets 'crapode' term... the actual term is crapaudine', which is French for spatchcocking a chicken - taking out the back bone and flattening...

I am going to use 'crapode' from now on! Yeah Roxlet!

[mariacarmen]

i've never heard of crapaudine either!

wait... is that a colloquialism? because i looked it up and could only find this:
Crap´au`dine

a. 1. (Arch.) Turning on pivots at the top and bottom; - said of a door.
n. 1. (Far.) An ulcer on the coronet of a horse.

or am i missing the connection?

[roxlet]

It's what my husband says, lol! I guess I should have said spatchcocking, as gs said.

[gingershelley]

In French/France french, it is also an epithet; like, damn 'crapaudine'! I think meant to be as if 'he/she has no backbone... Funny, non?

I do't think I could say 'damn spatchocker!" the same way. Love the idea of 'il crapode", short for 'shitty no-spine person, but, I digress from your chicken:)

[roxlet]

Well, it was quite good, cooked with a tiny bit of woodsmoke. I just sliced up some of the chicken breast to make my son a chicken and spicy cheese sandwich to take to school today.

[twodales]

Lordy! What a lucky kid! Chicken bathed in the essence of woodsmoke and spicy cheese as a school lunch. My, my, my!

Care to adopt me?

[gingershelley]

'Like' button hit. Twice:)

[LindaWhit]

It was a day where lots got successfully done, which is always a good thing! Dinner was an easy one - I picked up a roasted chicken at BJ's Wholesale Club, took the meat off the bone, and used about 1/3 of it in my Pasta with Garlic-Herb Cheese Sauce. I sauteed carrots, onions, baby bell peppers and asparagus and added that into the sauce with penne and some of the chopped chicken.

Cleanup is done, 2nd load of laundry is in the dryer, and I'm waiting for the 2nd season premiere of "Falling Skies" to start. Blue Bunny's Bunny Tracks ice cream will probably in a dish as dessert.

[steve h.]

A good food day.

Sunday brunch was a classic bruschetta with a sparkling wine to wash things down. Yanks beat the Nats so order and harmony throughout the universe continues.

Supper was based on an Easter favorite (it's chilly here): Pasta with guanciale and fresh asparagus; Scottadito (seared lamb chops) with vignarola (fava beans, fresh peas, artichokes) on the side. Dessert was a simple berry tart. A California pinot to wash down the supper, a vintage port with the tart.

This was a fancy sit-down meal. Van Morrison was on the box. Deb did all the heavy lifting. Happy Fathers' Day!

[scubadoo97]

Sounds like a nice day and tasty menu.

[steve h.]

hey scubadoo97,
It was a nice day. Deb really hit it out of the park. Lamb is good!

[scubadoo97]

Yes it is. Glad you got waited on

My Wife just gave up when I took the reigns in the kitchen

I made more sea scallops on a bed of fresh corn, leeks and small diced yellow beets for FD.

[steve h.]

Nice. Sea scallops, in the right hands, are a thing of beauty. The fresh corn, leeks, beets combo sounds perfect.

[ChristinaMason]

that sounds really nice. the beets are an interesting touch. did you sauce the veg. in some way?

[scubadoo97]

No sauce this time. There was some moisture from the leeks. I had 3 yellow beets that I roasted and needed to use before an upcoming vacation as well as 3 ears of corn and 1 leek. They played well together. The earthiness of the beets and leeks paired nicely with the very sweet corn and the sweet scallops. The beets were diced small, just bigger than a kernal of corn and visually worked even though they were similar in color. All in all it was an emptying the fridge dinner

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Thanks to Harters' exellent suggestion, I'm making a Mexican gazpacho for dinner tonight, based partly on a Rick Bayless recipe that calls for the roasting of the vegetables and based partly on another recipe I found that features half tomatoes and half tomatillos. I've only ever enjoyed gazpacho at restaurants and have never tried a Mexican variation, so this will be a bit of an experiment for me. I'm planning on topping it with avocado, cucumber and possibly some hard boiled egg (a Bayless suggestion) and serving with corn on the cob on the side. Watermelon slices for dessert and maybe a scoop of lime sherbet.

[gingershelley]

BBL, that all sounds GREAT on a hot day!

[scubadoo97]

I like the sound of this gazpacho

[twodales]

With all of the talk of naked bikers: wraps, patties and thighs along with strategically placed Boston Cremes...guess the 90 degree day has gone to my brain. *Laughing*

OK so tonight we have an obligation to fulfill and then are off to a Greek restaurant (hopefully the garden with grape vines growing over our heads.) I always order whitefish because they do it so well and garlicky skordalia with kolokythakia is in mind as well.

I did make 3 cream cheese and fresh strawberry pies today. 2 to give away and one to keep. Stay cool everyone.

[linguafood]

love kolokithakia. and skordalia. it's a steamer in berlin today, so we're debating mediterranean/greek or italian food as well. sitting outside for sure to enjoy one of the warmer days of late.

[Berheenia]

Making Martha Stewarts Parmesan stuffed chickens breasts which is a recipe I got from a WFD thread so thanks. The resident father wants mashed- I was going with basmati but it is fathers day so mashed it is and some gently cooked zucchini with lots of butter and tamari. Canadian Beer for him and some Oregon Pinot Gris for me. Beautiful weather- nice day in Boston. Wishing all of you cooking out for Dad a cold drink and hot coals.

[gingershelley]

I am cooking Moorish/Med food for Dad today, in honor of all the nifty foodstuffs I picked up for last months COTM, and Dad's recent trip to Lebanon, Cyprus and Jordan...

Going to make some homemade hummus, stuffed vine leaves and marinated eggplant for starters.

Main will be grilled Tuna with rosemary and lardo, served with a warm lentil, pea&peavine salad with a red wine and herb viniagrette. Tomato and feta salad alongside. These are from Moro East cookbook...

Incongruously, dessert is melon and blueberry shortbread bars, since I had made those yesterday.

Knowing Dad, there will be a very nice red to go with dinner. I have a cold French rose for the starters. Hope the weather holds, and we can eat outside!

Happy Father's Day to all!

[mariacarmen]

gee, gs, your dad has some mighty fine taste! lucky him he has a daughter who helps him enjoy it! your dinner sounds amazing - especially the lardo.... love the stuff.

[gingershelley]

Well, MC and all.... couldn't find lardo, so switched up menu to lamb kebabs, grilled tomatoes, homemade pita, and an herb salad with arugula, sorrel, fresh dill, pine nuts, currants plumped in sherry vinegar with a simple lemon/sherry vinegar/OO dressing.

Put that out second after all the mezze; homemade hummus, baba ganoush, olives, peppers stuffed with feta, yogurht with garlic and dill.

All VERY tasty, and I get to eat the leftovers for a few days! Happy Dad and daughter.

Glad your oldster ate so much, that is good news!

[mariacarmen]

still sounds like a great meal - the lamb of course, but that salad is intriguing too.
glad you had a good time with your dad.

[ChristinaMason]

great spread, gs! i LOVE that everyone in WFD is getting on the lamb bandwagon this summer!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

After a week of 100F temperatures (108 yesterday) I am incredibly jealous of all the Juneuaries and stew weather that everyone else seems to be experiencing. We ordered a pizza last night so we wouldn't have to turn on the stove and add heat to the apartment. That said, my boyfriend has expressed a desire to have soup for dinner tonight. We might have to wait until after dark to walk to the store for ingredients.

[Harters]

That soup will be gazpacho, then?

[BananaBirkLarsen]

You know, that's a great idea. I'm not sure if the boyfriend will go for it, but I think I'll give it a try.

[tiffeecanoe]

The husband has requested... chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and corn... for Father's Day! Yes, on what is going to be an 80 something degree day! But it's HIS day ;)

[mariacarmen]

Happy Father's day to your hubby and all the fathers here - and count yourself lucky you get to cook and then eat your own well-made delicious cooking, because we are having to take my dad out to one of those horrible buffet spreads that only certain 83 year old dads can love..... oh well, it will make him happy, and at least they have crab legs!!

[tiffeecanoe]

You're so right! Hope you enjoyed the crab! :)

[mariacarmen]

we did, and my oldster enjoyed TWO WHOLE PLATES of food, PLUS apple pie! my sister and i both said - what does that say about our cooking! but we know it's his age, his treatment, and just what he now likes to eat. he enjoyed it, and that's what counted.

the other thing we enjoyed is that this place is on the water and we got to see a seal frolicking!

[LindaWhit]

OK, LOVED reading about two whole plates of food being eaten, mc!

[PHREDDY]

So glad to hear your dad is streaming right along....so great great!

[mariacarmen]

Thank you LW & Phreddy!

[kubasd]

*like*

[bblonde]

Your husband and my dad think similarly. We did chicken fried steak and gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, and chocolate meringue pie. Chicken fried steak is also my BF favorite.

[tiffeecanoe]

oooh, better not let my husband see this, he certainly isn't getting a chocolate meringue pie!

[Uncle Bob]

Sunday dinner after a big breakfast this mornin..........

Swimp Po-Boys........
Zapps Chips................
Chocolate Pie.................

Sunday night supper will be light......

[bblonde]

BF and I were at a wedding last night. They bride and groom had the wedding at their house outside, and we were sweating it as it looked like rain. Luckily it was that sweet spot that cooled things off but never did rain.

Lunch today for my dad--chicken fried steak with gravy, mashed potatoes, undecided side, and chocolate meringue pie. Happy Father's Day!

[Breadcrumbs]

Last night's pasta and shrimp (mentioned up-thread) was really tasty! The simple mushroom pasta dish was a Nigella recipe and it really exceeded our expectations. I've done very little cooking from her books but when I do, inevitably we enjoy our dishes.

I'm so hoping the rain holds off as mr bc wants to fire up the charcoal grill this afternoon and do his beer can chickens. I'm planning grilled asparagus with a wasabi pea puree dip to start and I'm still narrowing in on a side dish or two. A bulgur salad caught my eye since leftovers could be re-purposed into weekday lunches but, I also have some tiny first-of-the-season-just-dug potatoes that I'd love to do something simple with so time will tell....

[PHREDDY]

Yummy...that looks deeeeelish....
Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!
We are going to my sister-in-laws house for a barbecue....since Mrs. P's family likes to come early and leave late...I was charged with the early afternoon snack....so I came up with a simple snack for at least 20 people....a 12 pound roasted ham that has been glazed with cherry/apricot/honey homade compote...that will be sliced at room temperature, placed on whole wheat, rye or 7 grain diner rolls with some mustard a thin slice of white onion and some Romaine...sort of "Ham Sliders"....on the side, red and white slaw with blueberries...The slaw of course will include the requisite red and green pepper, red onion, carrots, walnuts, green onion , sour cream and mayo, along with a touch of sugar and apple cider vinegar. Warm red smashed potato salad with a light vinegarette to round it out....the nice part about the day is when we arrive about 11am...we start with something home baked, some good coffee or tea...then Snack, a nap for the Daddys, then about 4pm the barbecue is lit up and then who knows....

PS .....only the Dads cook today, the Mommies clean...that is the rule....

[Njchicaa]

Making homemade pasta today. I'll make a few types of ravioli to freeze (spinach, mushroom, cheese, etc) and then ravioli al uvuo (with an egg yolk) for dinner tonight. Well, at least 1 with the yolk for each of us and the rest probably plain as it is too rich to have more than 1 w/egg IMO.

[Harters]

The weather's fine this morning - fine for October that is.

And dinner plans have gone to rat shit.

The plan was a new recipe for leg of lamb. We bought the ingredients without really looking at the recipe to see how it comes together. Well, when I say "without really looking", I mean without looking at all. And, this morning when we did look, we just thought "Yuk, I'm not eating that".

So, Plan B. The lamb will get a simple unadorned roasting. The tin of borlotti beans will be warmed through with chopped tomatoes, basil and, probably, a little mint from the garden. Courgettes will be fried with a little garlic and have some sliced black olives tossed through.

Oh, and there's asparagus to start. We don't seem to have had much this year and the season's not long to run.

[LindaWhit]

Had to look up what borlotti beans were, Harters. Ahh, I see - we call them cranberry beans here in the States (or at least here in New England). I like the mix of tomatoes, garlic and mint to be mixed in with it.

I'm curious as to what the rat shit recipe for lamb was. Your simple unadorned roasting is wonderful - lamb is wonderful almost any way it's prepared!

[Harters]

The original recipe was presumed to be roast lamb with a crust - much as you might do a rack of lamb - smearing it with Dijon then pressing on a mix of breadcrumbs, anchovies, olives, lemon zest. Sounds good, doesnt it?

Only it wasnt roast lamb. It was basically a pot roast where the breadcrumb mix was just sprinkled around where instead of getting nice and crisp, it was obviously going to go mushy in the steam of cooking.

Interesting you don't call the beans borlotti "over there". I'm used to seeing American usage of Italian names for foods, where we Brits will usually use the French version (but not here). I always assume one is due to immigration and the other to the country only being 22 miles away.

[LindaWhit]

The way you originally described the lamb recipe sounds good (except for those little fishies!) but sprinkling it around a pot-roasted lamb is just wrong.

And I wouldn't be surprised if borlotti beans were used in Little Italy or heavily Italian neighborhoods. But I'm pretty sure when I see dried beans in the stupidmarkets, they're always called cranberry beans. I do wish they'd keep their color and stripes after cooking though. :-)

[mariacarmen]

i've heard them called borlotti here, actually....

[dianne0712]

I had to look it up too since I didn't recognize either name. In Ontario the ones in cans are marketed as Romano beans.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

I don't think I'd ever heard ANY of those terms before, but I found this on wikipedia:

"Cranberry beans originated in Colombia as the cargamanto.[5] The bean is a medium-large, tan or hazelnut-colored bean, splashed with red/black to magenta streaks. A new cranberry bean variety, 'Crimson', is light tan and speckled maroon, and is also resistant to viruses and has a high yield.[6]

Crimson is a new cranberry dry bean.
Borlotti beans, also known as Roman beans or romano beans (not to be confused with Italian flat beans, a green bean also called "romano bean"), are a variety of cranberry bean bred in Italy to have a thicker skin. They are much used in Italian, Portuguese and Greek cuisine.
Pinto beans look the same as cranberry and borlotti beans, but differ in taste."

I've probably eaten them before and passed them off as funky tasting pintos.

[PHREDDY]

Thanks for the info.. I have seen this type of bean but only in dry ,bulk. Maybe I'll try them.

[Breadcrumbs]

You two crack me up w your rat shit lamb!!

Harters I know you're a fan of Nigel Slater and wonder whether you've ever tried his Courgette and Lancashire Cheese Crumble from Kitchen Diaries? I haven't pulled the book off the shelf yet but this dish came up in an Eat Your Books search. I'm thinking I might give it a go today as I have some molding Lancashire cheese in the fridge (and we just bought it last week!)

[Harters]

Havn't tried it - but it reads like a classic Slater "use up" dinner, so should be good. Don't we all have a couple of courgettes and a bit of cheese lurking in the fridge?

I like the way he describes it as a "frugal lunch"

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks Harters! btw, if NS saw the price of Lancashire cheese here he'd soon re-think his "frugal lunch".... a whopping $44.90 CDN per kg (£25.53 GBP) !!!

[Harters]

Possibly not so scary pricing. Even here, the top quality stuff (like Shorrocks - http://www.britishfinefoods.com/top10...) is going to be around £18 per kg

[Breadcrumbs]

Oh my goodness Harters, I'm salivating reading the description of that cheese. Have you tried it? I'll have to see if it's available here. mr bc is like a big old mouse and he LOVES his cheese. This one sounds spectacular. Definitely suited to a special occasion.

[Harters]

Yep. The Lancashire Bomb has been a feature of the Harters Christmas lunch table for a number of years. They are always at our local farmers market (as well as another farmhouse Lancashire cheesemaker and, IMO, the makers of the finest Cheshire cheese - Bournes).

The bomb really is fab. Sharp, like a mature Cheddar, but with Lancashire's creaminess. They're quite a small producer so may not export. More likely as an export will be Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire which is pretty damn good as well, if you can find that.

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks for these recommendations Harters, I'll most definitely take them to my favourite cheese shop and see what they're able to get. I Googled the Bournes Cheshire and I just know we'd love it as well.

[Harters]

Please let me know how you get on.

[blue room]

Does sound wonderful, doesn't it! They import cheese all the time -- no reason someone couldn't put some of this on a plane someday soon. It'd be a hit on a party table.

[PHREDDY]

So what is wrong with that meal?.....

[mariacarmen]

your replacement lamb dish sounds like a winner. plus the fried courgettes! and all this talk of fabulous cheeses... i need to hie myself back to the Cheeseboard one of these days... one of our more worthy mongers...

[mariacarmen]

carne asada salad was just right for the balmy evening. i seasoned the meat with cumin, granulated garlic & onion, s&p and aleppo.
(dammit that picture keeps flipping on it's side!) didn't add the avo or radishes, and added shallots instead of scallions.....dammit again - i just realized i forgot the queso fresco!!

[mchutch]

Looks delicious. =)

[roxlet]

I love carne asada, and yours looks great!

[gingershelley]

Yummers, as per usual - nice pics too MC. I have to get busy with my camera again!

[mariacarmen]

oops

[megjp]

A late and relatively effortless dinner for me: sauteed asparagus and a sandwich with baba ghanouj as spread, roasted red peppers, sliced tomatoes, and smoked chicken.

We'll be grilling at my folks' house tomorrow, so I bought the first of the yellow zucchini, some adorable tiny Indian eggplant, and mushrooms to do along with the rest of this huge bunch of asparagus and whatever meat & potatoes the oldsters will be fixin'. (I hope it's steak; I eat steak like twice a year, but have had a hankering lately.)

[mariacarmen]

89 degrees today in the City - pretty rare for SF. bought the fixings for a steak salad - carne asada which i'll grill pan rare, steamed chilled asparagus, green beans, red lettuce, endive, radishes, toms, avo, scallions queso fresco, with a dijon lemony vinaigrette. looking forward to it.

[Breadcrumbs]

Here in the Toronto area we had a balmy summer day (and gave thanks for global warming! ).
Yesterday the weather was much the same and we wanted a quick meal that we could enjoy al fresco before dashing inside to watch Wallenda's Niagara tightrope walk. A well-marinated sirloin was grilled and served atop a simply dressed bed of fresh-from-the-market mixed greens. The tightrope walk was great, the sirloin...just meh. I'm not a big fan of sirloin but wanted to try a new recipe. Needless to say it won't be repeated.

Tonight its a simple pasta with lemon-thyme from my garden, mushrooms, green garlic and lemon with some grilled shrimp. oh, and a little wine too!

Tomorrow's forecast of afternoon thunderstorms means we may need to get an early start on the beer can chickens!!

[mariacarmen]

my, that sirloin LOOKS good...

[PHREDDY]

BC....I make this all the time....unfortunately if you grill it it will toughen up because it is very lean, but very flavorful...Here is my trick to make it more tender;

First I marinate a 1 1/2 to 2lb piece in 1/2 cup low salt soy sauce, 1/4 cup of honey, 6 cloves of chopped garlic, ground black pepper, about 5 or 6 red pepper flakes ( a pinch)....let this marinade for a minimum of 2 hours...

Sear off the meat on both sides in a non stick fry pan that can go into the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 225 degrees...place pan in oven for 1 hour. Then turn off oven and let rest in oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest 10 minutes more. Slice on the bias very thin...

Just a side note, if you do not have oven proof fry pan, you can place meat after searing in a Pyrex oblong baking dish.

[ChristinaMason]

thanks for sharing your method, Phreddy! I'll give it a shot sometime.

[megjp]

Hey, I'm in the area too -- snuck a peek at the forecast mid-week and they're calling for pretty obscene temperatures chock fulla humidity. Good thing you grilled before you would have melted trying!

Too bad the sirloin won't be repeated, because it looks great. :(

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks so much mc, PHREDDY and megjp. PHEDDY, special thanks for your tips and suggestions. Much appreciated!

[steve h.]

Leftovers are on the menu.
The last of the Cajun meatloaf will be re-heated. Sides will be mashed potatoes and fresh peas. There will be mushroom gravy. House red to wash things down. Yanks have already beaten the Nats so the U.S Open will be on the plasma. San Francisco (Daly City) has never looked better.

[tiffeecanoe]

blackened chicken thighs and some red beans and rice! Wish I could say it was a hot weather meal... it's cold and rainy in central WI!

[mchutch]

I'm also in the Seattle Area. Just came back from the Fremont Solstice parade. The weather is strangely muggy for Seattle but it's cloudy with sprinkles. Anyway have been cooking a lot of Asian dishes lately partly because my kids love Asian foods in general and the husband (a WASP to the core) has been away on a business. Tonight I am thinking of clear vermicelli noodle lettuce wraps and grilled pork cilantro chili patties, with sliced watermelon for dessert. To see pics of what we have been cooking lately check out https://castii.com/c#cast/561
Post yours pics too. It's fun to see what people are cooking. :-)

[Breadcrumbs]

My goodness those photos made me super-hungry mchutch....I love dumplings and yours were perfect!

[PHREDDY]

Is that the parade where everyone rides on their bicycles nude? (If it is , please send pictures LOL!)

[mchutch]

heh, heh. Yes, the parade does start with the naked bicyclists (most are wearing body paint and strategically places props) but believe me you really don't want to see pictures of them. Think some old hippies, some flabby, pasty people (we don't get that much sun here) and you get the picture. And besides all I can think is OUCH! if riding a bike naked especially if you are a guy. I know, I know TMIF. ;-)

[gingershelley]

Oh yes, good call Phreddy, the Fremont solstice parade is famous outside our area I guess?

I used to live right in the heart of the neighborhood, and we put out orange traffic cones to block of parking for all our friends, so they could park at our house, we all trouped down to the parade, then shows, the beer garden, then back to our house for bbq. That was a fun 5 years in that 'hood. Still like to visit sometimes, if the weather is good.

I have a friends' pick on FB today with a naked biker standing full frontal with her (clothed), and I must say, some interesting paint job 'down there'.....

[mariacarmen]

welcome, mchutch - your photos are amazing, very appetizing! we do post pics on this thread, tho mine are nowhere near that pro....

[mchutch]

@Breadcrumbs and @mariacarmen, Thank you for your kind words. I think it's the app on my phone that helps...or at least makes it easier to document things.

[PHREDDY]

I attended many years ago , visiiting my Cuz Ben...Since this is all about food....I saw a lady on a bicycle with some dougnuts placed to hide....well you know....I think she was from the northeast...so the doughnuts were.....Boston Creme!

[gingershelley]

Hi mchutch... haven't seen you on seattle board - welcome to WFD!

Your wraps and patties sound terrific.

Sunday, FD, seems to be turning out better, weather wise..... think I am going to grill for Dad.

[todao]

100+ here on the left coast .... so it's Asian Chicken Salad (with those delightful Chinese rice noodles) and a Trousseau Gri (Gray Riesling); coconut cookies for dessert.

[ChristinaMason]

haven't seen you often on the WFD thread. welcome (back), todao :)

[Berheenia]

This weather forecast blew me away as we have been freezing all day in our t shirts in Boston- the sun went away around lunch time and the east wind kicked in. Having company tomorrow - yippee- we have spent too much at WF and TJ's but now I have a good strata setting up for tomorrow- gruyere, spinach, sauvignon blanc- and the fixings for the rest of the meal, I wish we could just go out for a burger tonight. I had a hit of the Mr's whiskey and why did I decide to become a wine person? Some form of pasta and spinach will appear in a bowl shortly.

[LindaWhit]

It's *barely* 60° just north of Boston, roxlet - so no summertime meal for me! I took out a beef tenderloin that I'll rub with an olive oil, mustard and freshly minced herb mixture and roast in the oven. Baked potato with sour cream and chives, and steamed green beans alongside. I suspect the leftovers will be repurposed into panini.

[Breadcrumbs]

That's my absolute favourite way to prepare tenderloin Linda. And when we're talking beef tenderloin, with leftovers, everything old is new again. The only meat I like at all temperatures.

[PHREDDY]

I pan sear the outside for a couple of minutes then into the oven....You know, those potatoes sound just correct with this protein..

[gingershelley]

Here in SEA, we are still having 'juneuary', with yesterday being better than most;; sunny and wow - a whopping 72 degrees... here - that is grillin' weather!

Made the tiffiecanoe hoisin burger; reground a couple of my house-ground sirloin patties (which I thought were too course anyway), and added in the hoisin and a handful of minced chives. Grilled those up for a friend and I, made sriracha mayo, added tomato and avocado.

Served up with corn on the cob with cilantro butter, and a nice asian cabbage slaw improvised with some rice wine,rice vinegar, sesame oil, jullienned cukes n carrots, a pinch of sugar. Quite tasty!

Iced Vodka, soda water, and my ginger syrup with a lime wedge made it all the better for dining al-fresco...

Today I am not cooking anything too interesting, as am prepping up for having Dad over for FD dinner tomorrow night. Will report back when I have the menu sorted out. Happy weekend all!

[PHREDDY]

Hey GS...got a weather update first hand this am from my cuz who flew in this morning from Seattle.....since he was a New Yorker and (SteveH , if you are listening a Yankee fan) loves all food New York, we started with a bagel and a schmear first, and now off to a local Italian/pizza restaurant, that a friend of mine from college owns.....Cuz Ben is a foodie, big time....he will be here until July 6th , so he said we have plenty of time to cook.... tomorrow we are going to different barbecues...so look out Monday!

[gingershelley]

PHREDDY, cool you have a cuz from SEA, love to find out if he is on CH, and what his 'handle' is. Curious if we have interacted on the board here.

Enjoy your Pizza and BBQ outings, and look forward to hearing what you all cook together:)

[Breadcrumbs]

Oh my gingershelley! Absolutely everything you've mentioned sounds delicious and that ginger cocktail....perfect! Enjoy your time w Dad.

[gingershelley]

Thanks BC; that ginger syrup is a keeper.
Just simmer lot's of ginger in sugar and water until it cooks down and is VERY strong, strain and bottle.

Make a batch every couple weeks. Like it for a non alchi drink with soda and bitters, or a dab in strong iced sun tea for a lightly sweet beverage.

[gembellina]

I did the hoisin burgers with an asian cabbage slaw too! Thanks for posting tiffie, they were great.

[twodales]

I made a quick Trader Joes veggie burger the other night and slapped some hoisin and fresh avocado on. Not half bad!

[Harters]

Hot weather! HAH!

Here the temperature has been in the mid-teens for days and the forecast says that's set to continue. It's cold and wet. Stew weather, if you will.

However, we're off to the city to dine. Indian restaurant which arrived in the city 3 years back amidst much hype and is now favoured by the regional glitterati.

[Breadcrumbs]

Damp, a little chill in the air...a perfect night for a curry IMHO. Enjoy your dinner Harters, looking forward to hearing about it.

[Harters]

Here you go, Breadcrumbs:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/854328

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks for sharing this Harters, I thoroughly enjoyed your write-up. I'm also very hungry after reading it!