Jump to content

Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog


JPW

Recommended Posts

Saturday dinner in British sense of word:

Zuni Café-brined loin pork chop (Cedarbrook; crushed juniper berries, bay leaves and chili peppers plus salt and sugar) sauced w green garlic, chicken broth reduction, lemon.

Sautéed slabs of Royal Trumpets slid around in the sauce, first, as topping w chives.

Potato mashed w very sour yogurt & mixed greens braised w pimenton, spring onions, chili flakes and cilantro.

Cherries.

Saturday supper: Harriet the Spy sandwich w Spiral Path greenhouse-earth grown tomato

Early yesterday evening:

Broccoli and garlic scapes w penne (Bittman formula of reversing proportions) and grated Piedmont

Zuni-brined chop, etc., this time w honey mushrooms and lots more lemon, using some leftover pan juices. Even better.

Half a Champagne mango.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tomato and mayonnaise (if my memory doesn't betray me). Oh, I love Harriet the Spy. :D

Even more to love - it's a banned book. So eat your sandwich, read the book, and feel just as wicked as you did when you were a kid. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tomato and mayonnaise (if my memory doesn't betray me). Oh, I love Harriet the Spy. :)

Oh! That's what you call it! I just call it "Summer!"

And, if I was getting really fancy, I'll add a slice of American processed cheese. Yup. Summer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spinach salad with button mushroom, tomato and bleu cheese dressing.

Linguine with shredded chicken (store-bought, roasted), broccoli, red bell pepper and sun dried tomatoes in a herbed boursin sauce.

Cherries and an Italian ice

Link to comment
Share on other sites

pecan crusted trout

broccoli rabe (spelling???) sauteed with garlic

some frozen potato mushroom green bean mix from Trader Joes

cherries

p.s. I just turned into clam!!! yeah. Since I'm on the short (ok very short side) and was called Shrimpo as a kid, I am very happy to no longer be a shrimp!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Because I was dining alone tonight, I experimented with Matar Paneer. This time I used the recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking. That poor old book is in pieces. I liked this version, but it was lacking that something that will keep me trying different recipes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

-Ecofriendly NY strip cooked in herb butter

I was so proud of this. Perfectly cooked. And with an epic crust on a beautiful steak!

-Local mashed potatoes with goat stock and herb garlic butter

-Roasted asparagus w/ EVOO, S&P, lemon juice

This was my first time eating local asparagus. It was a revelation. I know that local is better, but this was just incredible. No bitterness, no sulfur, no woody or stringy textures. They actually turned to cream in my mouth. Fuck you Peru and your shitty asparagus.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

-Ecofriendly NY strip cooked in herb butter

I was so proud of this. Perfectly cooked. And with an epic crust on a beautiful steak!

-Local mashed potatoes with goat stock and herb garlic butter

-Roasted asparagus w/ EVOO, S&P, lemon juice

This was my first time eating local asparagus. It was a revelation. I know that local is better, but this was just incredible. No bitterness, no sulfur, no woody or stringy textures. They actually turned to cream in my mouth. Fuck you Peru and your shitty asparagus.

Dan, did you cook the steak in a pan and ladle the butter over as it cooked? I've seen this done so many times on tv, but have not tried it myself.

And yes, the asparagus this year has KICKED ASS! No wonder some have asparagus fatigue. If there's any at market this weekend, I'm in- I haven't reached my limit yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dan, did you cook the steak in a pan and ladle the butter over as it cooked? I've seen this done so many times on tv, but have not tried it myself.

And yes, the asparagus this year has KICKED ASS! No wonder some have asparagus fatigue. If there's any at market this weekend, I'm in- I haven't reached my limit yet.

Brought the steak up to about 90-95 degrees in a 200 degree oven to both jumpstart the cooking and to dry the exterior. Seasoned with S&P. Into a smoking hot, cast-iron pan with loads of butter. Last minute or two, added fresh herbs to the butter. And yes, the butter was ladled onto the steak using a metal spoon.

With an electric range, this can be tough: you have to angle the pan so all the butter pools in one spot, so the pan ends up losing contact with the heat surface (not nearly as much of a problem with a gas range). That's why the heat retention on the cast iron really comes in handy!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brought the steak up to about 90-95 degrees in a 200 degree oven to both jumpstart the cooking and to dry the exterior. Seasoned with S&P. Into a smoking hot, cast-iron pan with loads of butter. Last minute or two, added fresh herbs to the butter. And yes, the butter was ladled onto the steak using a metal spoon.

With an electric range, this can be tough: you have to angle the pan so all the butter pools in one spot, so the pan ends up losing contact with the heat surface (not nearly as much of a problem with a gas range). That's why the heat retention on the cast iron really comes in handy!!!

I guess it is my lack of cooking knowledge, but won't the butter burn rather quickly in a smoking hot cast iron pan?

I also have never understood smothering good beef with butter, but then again I am not normal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess it is my lack of cooking knowledge, but won't the butter burn rather quickly in a smoking hot cast iron pan?

I also have never understood smothering good beef with butter, but then again I am not normal.

If I weren't lazy about it, I'd use clarified butter. The steaks are only in about a minute per side... the butter browns and gets nutty and vanilla-ey. Any burned spots end up pooling at the corner of the pan.

And the butter was a cooking medium, not a sauce. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And the butter was a cooking medium, not a sauce. :)

But why do you add the fresh herbs if it's not a sauce? You said the butter was poured over the steaks.

The asparagus this year has been excellent. If there is any left this weekend it will become cold asparagus soup.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, clarified butter..right...that's how they do it. The strip steaks cook fast, so I can see how you could avoid burning and get brown, nutty butter. Thanks for the...clarification.

There is no way to put butter in a smoking hot cast iron pan and not have it burn very quickly. You cannot just move the burnt pieces away and not have it affect the flavor. Perhaps I need more training.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Recipe from The Spice Merchant's Daughter: Basil Chicken

Small cubes of boneless chicken breast stir-fried in a wok with: peanut oil, garlic, shallots, jalapenos, yellow peppers, soy sauce, fish sauce, basil, white pepper (not all at the same time :)

Served over Jasmine rice

Wow, this was simple, quick and so delicious!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Striata baguette "margherita pizzas"

Soba noodles with salmon and watercress and buttermilk dressing

I hadn't made pizza breads out of striata baguette from Marvelous Market in quite some time and forgot how wonderful they turn out. It's the best bread I've ever found for that application. I made two small pizzas out of a length of the bread cut in half horizontally: tomato paste, buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, basil.

The noodles were from a recipe I came across on a blog. I tinkered with the proportions of various ingredients a bit and made the thin buttermilk-lemon dressing more ranch-like. My husband liked it a lot, but I wasn't as thrilled with the result. Maybe it was the soba noodles. I keep trying to like them but they just don't do it for me. I like having happy customers, though :) .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 fresh baked rolls

10 lbs pork butt, rubbed and pulled

7 chickens, halved, brined with coriander and rubbed

6 lbs red potato salad

3 pints of apple fig BBQ sauce

2 cabbage heads-worth of coleslaw

1 epic BBBQ

30182_736638847734_5317785_41620751_4250728_n.jpg

And one exhausted host...

That's quite a spread, Dan. Hopefully today you get lots of rest and some leftovers!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This was my first time eating local asparagus. It was a revelation. I know that local is better, but this was just incredible. No bitterness, no sulfur, no woody or stringy textures. They actually turned to cream in my mouth. Fuck you Peru and your shitty asparagus.

What, you of all people have never been to a farmer's market in May? If you roll down your windows near Dupont Circle they throw bundles of asparagus into the front seat.

Worse things could happen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last night:

Toasted striata baguette with soy spread

Chicken corn chowder

Asparagus gratin

The gratin was from a recent recipe in the NY Times. I was running late and skipped the radicchio and endive salad on top. I hadn't even gotten those ingredients prepped and dinner was ready to go on the table. The contrast of the salad with the rest of the dish sounds interesting and I will try it sometime. The basic gratin with the nuts and panko on top was quite tasty.

And, yes, this was an insane meal to make on the hottest (so far) day of the year :).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last night:

Nibbled on the last of my phyllo roll with feta, spinach and sundried tomatoes

Leftover NY Strip from a recent dinner at Rays the Steaks was sliced thin and used in Thai Basil Beef with Jasmine rice.

Fresh market strawberries over HD froyo vanilla with raspberry swirl.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last night:

Toasted striata baguette with soy spread

Chicken corn chowder

Asparagus gratin

The gratin was from a recent recipe in the NY Times. I was running late and skipped the radicchio and endive salad on top. I hadn't even gotten those ingredients prepped and dinner was ready to go on the table. The contrast of the salad with the rest of the dish sounds interesting and I will try it sometime. The basic gratin with the nuts and panko on top was quite tasty.

And, yes, this was an insane meal to make on the hottest (so far) day of the year :).

Summertime is when I make corn chowder (Ina Garten's recipe) in abundance. It reeks summer to me, and I save several quarts in the freezer for cold winter nights to remind me that long, warm (and hot, muggy) days are coming soon. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Summertime is when I make corn chowder (Ina Garten's recipe) in abundance. It reeks summer to me, and I save several quarts in the freezer for cold winter nights to remind me that long, warm (and hot, muggy) days are coming soon. :D

It was good comfort food, and I liked being able to use fresh corn in it. It's just that yesterday was a ridiculous day for using the stove and oven, even with air conditioning. I'm trying to remember summer before air conditioning, and something seems to be blocking out those sense memories :).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Couple of days ago:

Thin slices of rose veal w lemon and morels*

Fagiolini w Parmesan and butter

Roasted purple cauliflower w fresh garlic (new to market) and herbs

Deborah Madison's raspberry cream tart ("Local Flavors") which is super quick and delicious. Added lemon zest to batter which is really a cake. Make sides taller than center and fill with creme fraiche or in my case, quark thinned w rich, creamy milk plus egg yolk, vanilla (and more zest) and top w raspberries. Just half a cup of sugar in batter, none in creamy layer and only a modest sprinkle on top of the berries. Made since pints bled traveling back from market and I didn't want them to get moldy.

*Given all the publicity here, I refuse to name source :D

And mdt, stop picking on Dan! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Couple of days ago:

Thin slices of rose veal w lemon and morels*

Fagiolini w Parmesan and butter

Roasted purple cauliflower w fresh garlic (new to market) and herbs

Deborah Madison's raspberry cream tart ("Local Flavors") which is super quick and delicious. Added lemon zest to batter which is really a cake. Make sides taller than center and fill with creme fraiche or in my case, quark thinned w rich, creamy milk plus egg yolk, vanilla (and more zest) and top w raspberries. Just half a cup of sugar in batter, none in creamy layer and only a modest sprinkle on top of the berries. Made since pints bled traveling back from market and I didn't want them to get moldy.

*Given all the publicity here, I refuse to name source :D

And mdt, stop picking on Dan! :)

hmm...rose veal...eco friendly??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For reasons I cannot explain, I bought a four pound bag of organic quinoa at Costco last week. I'm pretty sure there's some kind of atomizer at the entrance that sprays a chemical that makes me think I have to feed thirty people.

A warm quinoa salad with chopped, wilted baby spinach, sun dried tomatoes, feta, chickpeas, fresh thyme, oregano and a minced scallion from the garden, all dressed with lemon juice whisked into the olive oil from the sun dried tomato jar. Perfect in the heat. Plus, I'm thinking with a bit more feta, this would be an excellent filling for grilled baby peppers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hell yes I have leftovers... we only had 20 people! I'm really, really bad at figuring out how much food to serve. :)

One of the tricks with multiple side items, is not to prepare each side item for as many as you're expecting. With a variety, most people will serve themselves only a little of each in order to taste some of everything. So if you're expecting 20 people, don't make a batch of potato salad for 20, etc. With things that are individual pieces, like corn on the cob, you would make sure to have one for everyone.

The more you do it, the easier it gets to judge. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last night:

Grilled boneless chicken breasts marinated in yogurt and EVOO, spiced with salt, lemon juice, chili powder, cumin, coriander, black pepper, cinnamon, served with sauce of yogurt, EVOO, minced mint and shallots – surprisingly moist!

Grilled red and yellow peppers

Steamed spinach

Tonight:

Grilled jumbo prawns in marinade of EVOO, ground sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, parsley, cilantro, hot red pepper flakes, black pepper, drizzled with lime juice… Delicious!

Sauteed beet greens and shallots

Green beans dressed with lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley

(I wish I could take pictures like monavano)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...