Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[captcourt]

I should have also posted this pavlova from our New Year's Eve festivities - it was very tasty, wasn't hard, looked amazing (far disproportionately to the total amount of work involved) and won over a couple of non-meringue-lovers.  Recipe from here: http://thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk/marys-christmas-pavlova/.  We watched the show on a lark and it was time well-spent.

 

[TrelayneNYC]

Christmas dinner for six:

Fattuosh
Chicken and cardamom rice
Spinach with garlic and anchovy
Roasted cauliflower
Tunnel of Fudge chocolate bundt cake
Apple tart

Saturday:

Salad with roasted beets, egg and shallot vinaigrette

Chicken tagine with butternut squash, chickpeas and preserved lemon

Sunday:

Sauteed squid with garlic, parsley and lemon

Trippa alla romana

[TrelayneNYC]

Alan7147 wanted the recipe for the trippa, so here it is in case anyone else is interested:

 

1 3/4 lbs. cleaned tripe. Wash thoroughly in hot water.

It's important that you obtain bleached and cleaned tripe (unless you want to handle the par-boiling yourself).  BTW, buying it proved to be an adventure.  I was reminded how much I had been spoiled living in New York for so long that I could get virtually anything I wanted at any time without having to schlep all over town for it.  Apparently tripe is not a meat that's sold anywhere in San Francisco except for the Mission, Chinatown and certain stores in Richmond and Outer Sunset.  We checked five stores and was finally able to obtain it at a place located at 23rd and Mission.  Even a stalwart like Lucca didn't have it.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Add tripe and simmer for a few minutes, then drain and cool.

 

Clockwise from foreground, right: a handful of mint leaves; 2 small onions, diced; 1/2 cup sauvignon blanc; 1 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes that were crushed by hand along with their juices; 2 tbsp. diced pancetta.

 

Slice the tripe into strips.

 

In a skillet, warm 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, pancetta and mint. Cook until pancetta has rendered its fat and onion has become golden brown.

 

Add tripe and the white wine. Stir a few times. Simmer for 1-2 minutes.

 

Add tomatoes. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until tripe is tender and slightly chewy.

 

Taste for salt and black pepper.

Top each serving with grated pecorino cheese.

 

Trippa alla romana, from "My Kitchen in Rome" by Rachel Roddy, pages 205-207.

The recipe above is sized for 4 people.

[ktmoomau]

We stayed at my Mom's for Christmas and then Hubby's parents for NYE.  I got to do much of the cooking at Mom's house.  On the 23rd she made Brunswick stew- I helped in the smallest ways, it was delicious, she is a great cook.  Christmas Eve we had another serving of stew, I made some extra broth we added in to stretch it a bit.  For Christmas dinner I made- London broil with McCormick's monterey steak seasoning, roasted asparagus with parmasean, twice baked potatoes, peel and eat shrimp with old bay, fruit salad and chocolate cake (from Restaurant Depot).  The next evening we had spaghetti carbonara which my Mom made and salad.  The next day, I made pizza on those long rectangle trader joes pre-baked pizza shells (which I thought were really good) one was bacon and mozz, the other was spinach, mushroom, bacon and mozz, with marinara from Pietanza.  

[ktmoomau]

Tuesday night I made jasmine rice with some sauteed ginger, garlic, carrot and leek.  Flank steak with teriyaki butter and then sauteed some green peppers in the pan juices and deglazed.  We also ate the leftover sichuan string beans we had.  

Last night I used the leftover steak, made some homemade re-fried kidney beans and we had tacos.  

[Genevieve]

On 2/16/2014 at 0:48 PM, zoramargolis said:

chicken with lemon, za'atar and sumac from _Ottolenghi_, roasted in the wood stove, in a cast iron casserole.

wood oven roasted cauliflower with chickpeas, roasted poblano, fresh tomato, arugula and mustard-caper vinaigrette, adapted from an_Ottolenghi_ recipe

basmati rice

2010 Dom. du Pre Regnie

I recently bought some sumac and was looking through here for ideas on how to use it. The Ottolenghi recipe looks very tasty - zoramargolis, if you see this, do you do the marinating before roasting? We sometimes skip a "marinate for a few hours" step in recipes in the interests of getting a weeknight dinner made (not thinking ahead enough to allow time to do that in the morning).

[Pat]

32 minutes ago, Genevieve said:

I recently bought some sumac and was looking through here for ideas on how to use it. The Ottolenghi recipe looks very tasty - zoramargolis, if you see this, do you do the marinating before roasting? We sometimes skip a "marinate for a few hours" step in recipes in the interests of getting a weeknight dinner made (not thinking ahead enough to allow time to do that in the morning).

I've recently made a sumac chicken wings recipe from a Turkish cookbook a few times. I can give you the ingredients and general procedure for that, if you like.  They come out really well.  They require marinating overnight in a yogurt mixture, though.  

[Genevieve]

1 minute ago, Pat said:

I've recently made a sumac chicken wings recipe from a Turkish cookbook a few times. I can give you the ingredients and general procedure for that, if you like.  They come out really well.  They require marinating overnight in a yogurt mixture, though.  

Yes, thank you! That'd be a weekend recipe for us, more likely.

[zoramargolis]

3 hours ago, Genevieve said:

I recently bought some sumac and was looking through here for ideas on how to use it. The Ottolenghi recipe looks very tasty - zoramargolis, if you see this, do you do the marinating before roasting? We sometimes skip a "marinate for a few hours" step in recipes in the interests of getting a weeknight dinner made (not thinking ahead enough to allow time to do that in the morning).

All of Ottolenghi's chicken recipes use the same method. The chicken is mixed with aromatics, vegetables, spices, and other flavoring ingredients first--ideally for a few hours or overnight. And then arrayed in one layer in a baking dish and roasted in a hot oven. The only thing that changes is the marinating and secondary ingredients. You can mix the chicken with the spices and cook immediately if you want, just know that the chicken itself won't be as intensely flavored, and since the salt in the marinade acts as a brine or dry brine would in maintaining moisture in the meat, the chicken may turn out drier than if it had marinated for a few hours. Why not plan ahead, and mix the chicken with the spices the night before you plan to cook it, and store it in a zip-lock bag in the fridge? Then you can come home from work, turn the oven on and have dinner ready in less time.

[reedm]

Tonight I made a deceptively simple but delicious Caldo Verde courtesy of SeriousEats.com. I've made this dish before from a different recipe, but this recipe is far superior. Highly recommended.

 

[Pat]

18 hours ago, Genevieve said:

Yes, thank you! That'd be a weekend recipe for us, more likely.

The actual hands-on time for this is not as much as it seems, and it's spread out.  Since they seem to occupy most of the wing display at the Whole Foods where I shop, I've been buying Bell and Evans wings that are already pre-cut.  And a little over or under on the weight doesn't make a discernible difference with the recipe proportions. (This is an excellent cookbook, by the way. I've made several good recipes from it and have a bunch more marked to try.)  

Charred Sumac and Oregano Chicken Wings
Adapted from Turkish Delights by John Gregory-Smith

2 1/4 lb. chicken wings, cut into 2 pieces each

For the marinade:
2 tsp. Turkish pepper flakes*
1 tsp. ground sumac
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
generous pinch of salt
2 Tbsp. yogurt
2 Tbsp. olive oil

To cook:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
sea salt, to taste (optional)

Put chicken in a large mixing bowl (or gallon zipper bag) and add dry marinade ingredients. Then add yogurt and, finally, olive oil.  Mix together well so chicken is thoroughly and evenly coated.  Cover (or close) and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.  (i usually massage the contents of the bag and turn it over once or twice during the marinating time. I’ve started these as much as 30 hours before cooking time.)

Take wings out of refrigerator to come to room temperature.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400F.  Lightly oil a griddle pan (I use two smallish cast iron grill pans) until smoking hot.  Grill the wings 3 or 4 minutes a side until charred, and then move to a roasting pan.  (At this point, I put them on a half sheet pan lined with foil while I finish the remaining wings.)  Roast charred wings for 12 to 15 minutes until cooked through.   (The original recipe never says when to add the final sea salt, and I don't use it.)

*In the cookbook, he says to substitute smoked paprika + red pepper flakes or spicy smoked paprika for the Turkish pepper flakes. I’ve used spicy smoked paprika that I got at Souk on Barracks Row for this, and once I used Aleppo pepper instead. Either one works. 

[Pat]

Last night was supermarket sushi (vegetable rolls from Yes) and cheeseburger tacos.  (I don't know what to call them.)  I had some leftover hamburger patties I'd previously cooked and I broke them up in a pan and added some chopped tomato and scallion and cooked over low heat until the tomatoes and scallions had softened. Some black-eyed peas got added near the end. The assembled tacos (flour tortillas) had all that, plus radish slices, cheddar cheese, sriracha, and sour cream.  

[Pat]

It was a mustard-y meal last night: a spicy cheese mustard thyme turnover from Souk and creamy mustard beef stew.  

[ktmoomau]

In my effort to cull the freezer/fridge/pantry items, since my last post I have made:

1) Meatloaf, hasselback potatoes, the last of the frozen green beans and some frozen peas sauteed in a little butter.

2) Homemade tomato soup (sans dairy) and grilled cheese.

3) Spaghetti and meatballs.

This doesn't seem like much fridge culling, probably a lot more little items were used up in making lunches.  But we seem to have an overabundance of american cheese, canned sauces, seasonings, cornmeal, weird canned items that I bought for one specific recipe.  So I am working on it.

[DaveO]

Beef and broccoli (and asparagus and onions and some frozen veggies) and tomato soup

[Pat]

Empanadas (beef. spinach/greens, black-eyed peas)

My forming of the empanadas wasn't as pretty as it could have been, but these came out well.  I used a Food and Wine recipe as a guide that included a hefty dose of smoked paprika in the dough.

[dcandohio]

I am back to the grey and frigid Midwest, and I am returning to winter cooking.  Earlier in the week I made a chicken stew with boneless skinless chicken thighs, and lots of onions, celery and carrots, and I served it over Israeli couscous.  Today I am braising a big hunk of beef that was on sale at the local supermarket, and it will be shredded and tossed with homemade barbecue sauce for a "barbecue beef" dinner tomorrow. 

[Pat]

The last two nights have been a "clean out the fridge and pantry" tuna noodle casserole.   In addition to hard-boiled eggs and sautéed mushrooms, which I often add, and peas, which I sometimes add, this had baby arugula and whole milk ricotta.  I sprinkled dried breadcrumbs on top and dotted with butter before putting it in the oven.  (Breadcrumbs are a "sometimes" inclusion.) And the massive amount of béchamel I made for this--the casserole filled a whole lasagna pan--STILL didn't use up all the now-past-its-expiration-date milk.  It's a good thing this is comfort food, because there is a lot of it and I need comfort food.

[Xochitl10]

Simple dinner for the cancer patient (Mom) and her pregnant lady caretaker (me) after a tough post-surgery week: Trader Joe's BBQ pulled chicken, baked potatoes with butter, peas.

[ktmoomau]

Last night I made a composed cheese plate for friends with feta baked with oil infused with a ton of garlic and herbs, olives and sun-dried tomatoes/ pita chips.  Gouda, jam, crackers, pepperjack, peanuts, assorted pickles.  Some truffles for dessert and wine.  We meant to get real dinner, but the rain kept us lazy.  It was about all I could fix them from what I had left in the fridge.   

[TrelayneNYC]

Last night:

Sausages with seedless grapes from "Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine" by Lidia Bastianich, page 311.

Potatoes fried in duck fat with garlic and parsley

Broccoli rabe sautéed in duck fat with garlic

Meyer lemon-almond cookies

[ktmoomau]

Tonight was a sheet pan dinner of carolina gold rice (par-boiled), chicken sausages, apples and fennel.  Had a homemade pumpkin whoopee pie for dessert.

[dcandohio]

Last night I served the barbecue beef that I had made earlier, over a green chili and white cheddar cheese cornbread.  I added roasted potatoes, (which I let cook too long).  My neighbor brought a lovely salad with halved fresh cherries in it.  We finished with cookies from the "by the pound" display at Whole Foods. 

[Pat]

Dinner tonight (still in oven) will be Paprika Chicken with Chickpeas.  It's a recipe from simplyrecipes.com.  I'm also tossing in some grape tomatoes that were getting old.  Will serve this with some previously roasted turnips and yellow beets.

[ktmoomau]

Last night I tried my Penzey's curry now spice and made chicken curry with kale, tomatoes, garlic, onion and a little carrot- the usual coconut milk, tomato paste, spices and a little butter to thicken it.  It turned out very nicely.  Hubby thought it was delicious.  

[TrelayneNYC]

This weekend we had comfort food because of Friday's events.  I'm sure you can figure out what I mean by that.

Roast chicken with roasted vegetables.

The inside of the chicken was seasoned with salt and black pepper, and was stuffed with parsley, sage, fresh bay leaves, thyme, crushed garlic cloves and half a Meyer lemon.

We served that with some cauliflower that had been simmered in lightly salted water, then drained and dressed with extra-virgin olive oil, Meyer lemon juice, salt and black pepper.

[TrelayneNYC]

That was followed up tonight (Sunday) with:

chicken-tarragon pot pie and

fennel salad with shallot vinaigrette.

[Pat]

Trelayne, that chicken pot pie looks gorgeous (and comforting).

Last night was meatballs in marinara sauce over cavatappi, topped with thin slices of Sottocenere al tartufo cheese.   

[ktmoomau]

Yesterday, I made bread on my new baking stone and the lentil, bacon and apple soup from Deep Run Roots by Vivian Howard.  I didn't realize it called for apple cider (when I read the recipe to grocery shop I thought it was apple cider vinegar), so I just used another cup of stock.  It was still delicious.

[silentbob]

I made a big pot of makhani sauce the other day -- thank goodness for the packaged powder mixes, they make things so much quicker -- and added some peas.  Split the batch into two portions.  One half got mixed with shredded rotisserie chicken from Costco.  The other half got mixed with paneer (also from Costco) fried on the griddle.

And of course we've continued to have strawberry or mango lassis made in the Vitamix.  So tasty and convenient!

[TrelayneNYC]

Thanks Pat.

We have leftovers in case anyone wants to fly to San Francisco and come over.

I almost never make pastry and the success of that recipe has given me new confidence for next time.

[Pat]

Soft chicken tacos (corn tortillas) w/shredded lettuce, avocado, shredded chicken, and diced radishes; sour cream

Plus a little mini-baguette sandwich to stave off hunger while I made the tacos: fancy "pub cheese" horseradish cheddar spread (impulse purchase) topped with chicken

[Tweaked]

Winter tacos*, since there's not much fresh produce at the farmer's markets these days and I'm relying more on grocery store produce: 

corn tortillas, black bean puree, cubed sauteed sweet potatoes dusted with cumin, cooked down white onion, sauteed shiitake mushrooms, avocado, cilantro, lime

(*My Summer tacos use much more fresh farmer's market produce, corn, squash, fresh pico etc.)

 

[Xochitl10]

Baked potato topped with green chile sauce, sliced chicken, and cheddar

[Pat]

Variation on the leftover cavatappi and meatballs: Some meatballs and sauce went into a meatball sandwich, with cavatappi and more sauce served on the side.

[ktmoomau]

I marinated some chicken thighs with some various things- and baked them in the oven last night at a fairly high temperature with a little vegetable oil on their skin so that it got delightfully crisp, with sauteed leeks, mushrooms and spinach, adding some of the pan juices from the chicken.  Served with Carolina Gold Rice that I made into what I would call lazy risotto (rice sauteed with butter, then cooked in stock, batches laddeled in, with cheese added).  It looked quite pretty and was delicious.  

[dcandohio]

An easy dinner for friends coming over with a toddler:

Tomato soup made with the last of my summer roasted and puréed tomatoes, and low-fat buttermilk.

 A big salad with chunks of roasted turkey (from a turkey breast I roasted yesterday), Romaine, diced apples, celery, smoked Gouda, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds.  The dressing was maple syrup, Dijon mustard, pomegranate balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

We finished with lemon cookies that I made from box cake mix, topped with a tart glaze of powdered sugar and lemon juice. 

[ktmoomau]

I made an attempt this weekend at savory sticky rolls.  I will tweak this a bit- they had kasseri cheese, bacon, sauteed leeks, apricot jam.  they were fine.  I think next time, no jam or a little pepper jelly instead, and add sundried tomatoes and olives.  

Last night I made chorizo chilli.

[Pat]

Baked potato with bacon and sour cream

[Pat]

Roasted mushrooms with sherry and creamy polenta

This is a Food 52 recipe I tweaked slightly.  Added some sliced roma tomato when the mushrooms went back in to finish on a higher temperature. Also added an egg and egg yolk (leftover from something else) to the polenta, plus added shredded Parmesan.  Pretty good.  

 

[dcandohio]

A "what's in the refrigerator" omelette  of leftover roasted cauliflower and smoked Gouda. Pretty tasty. 

[TrelayneNYC]

Garofolato (Roman pot roast with cloves and prosciutto).

Green beans with Meyer lemon and anchovy.

[Tweaked]

Alt-Super Bowl Dinner

Spicy Sichuan Water Boiled Fish with Celery

Kung Pao Tofu

Cucumber Salad (Fushia Dunlop - Land of Fish and Rice)

Stir fried Bok Choy with Dried Shrimp (Fushia Dunlop - Land of Fish and Rice)

[Pat]

Baked Rigatoni with Broccoli and Gorgonzola from Didi Emmons' Vegetarian Planet.  I love this recipe but hadn't made it in a long time.

My, does it have a lot of cheese. I subbed Pecorino Romano for the Parmesan, since I had romano that really needed using.  I also added some roasted cremini mushrooms that I had pre-made.  The mushrooms were an excellent addition to the recipe.  The romano was okay, but I prefer Parmesan to begin with. (Had bought the romano for a recipe I ended up never making.)

[Pat]

Last night was tofu and rice, rather basic.  The tofu was coated with marinade and broiled but didn't soak in it, and the flavors didn't come through as much as when I leave the tofu in the mixture for a while.  The rice was just plain white rice cooked in water.  I added some excess chopped scallions I didn't use in the marinade to the finished dish and added a little low-sodium soy sauce to boost the flavor.  

Mostly I've been making brown rice to accompany marinated tofu.  This is the first time in a while using white rice and the  first in a very long time using only water instead of some kind of broth or diluted stock to cook it.  Lots of words for a very simple meal .

[dcandohio]

A bit tardy, but on Sunday I made a meatloaf and lactose-free mashed potatoes and roasted green beans for friends.  

In researching lactose free options for typical foods, I was shocked at how many products contain something from milk.  Even my Panko breadcrumbs had milk byproducts in them.   So I used oatmeal in the meatloaf. Only smart balance can be used as a reasonable butter substitute for mashed potatoes.  Thankfully green beans can be roasted in olive oil with no worries!

Oh,  and I made a quick salad of sliced oranges and slice jicama with cilantro, and a lemon and honey dressing which people loved. 

 My heart goes out to you lactose intolerant friends. Milk lurks everywhere. 

[Pat]

12 hours ago, dcandohio said:

A bit tardy, but on Sunday I made a meatloaf and lactose-free mashed potatoes and roasted green beans for friends.  

In researching lactose free options for typical foods, I was shocked at how many products contain something from milk.  Even my Panko breadcrumbs had milk byproducts in them.   So I used oatmeal in the meatloaf. Only smart balance can be used as a reasonable butter substitute for mashed potatoes.  Thankfully green beans can be roasted in olive oil with no worries!

Oh,  and I made a quick salad of sliced oranges and slice jicama with cilantro, and a lemon and honey dressing which people loved. 

 My heart goes out to you lactose intolerant friends. Milk lurks everywhere. 

 I don't consume much milk as such but having to make sure there's none of it at all in anything would be a real pain. Sometimes I make mashed potatoes with olive oil.  Of course the one version of whipped potatoes that calls for the oil also has Parmesan, so that would be out. Peruvian causa uses oil and lime juice, though. 

That salad sounds really good.

Last night I had Fritos and cream cheese for dinner.  That used to be one of my favorite after school snacks as a kid.  Neufchatel wasn't available then and it works better, texturally, than the regular kind for scooping up the cream cheese without breaking the chips.

 

[ktmoomau]

19 hours ago, dcandohio said:

A bit tardy, but on Sunday I made a meatloaf and lactose-free mashed potatoes and roasted green beans for friends.  

In researching lactose free options for typical foods, I was shocked at how many products contain something from milk.  Even my Panko breadcrumbs had milk byproducts in them.   So I used oatmeal in the meatloaf. Only smart balance can be used as a reasonable butter substitute for mashed potatoes.  Thankfully green beans can be roasted in olive oil with no worries!

Oh,  and I made a quick salad of sliced oranges and slice jicama with cilantro, and a lemon and honey dressing which people loved. 

 My heart goes out to you lactose intolerant friends. Milk lurks everywhere. 

So I am lactose-intolerant, and it isn't the same as dairy-free.  I mean you have already made the mashed potatoes, but...  For mashed potatoes, I normally use either Horizon or Spring Valley lactose free milk, and LF margarine (there are other brands, fyi...) sometimes I add some Parmesan cheese.  Likely by the time it is made into panko, the lactose has been processed out.  Mainly, I can't eat without a pill (although everyone is different), regular milk, real butter, soft cheeses, cream, ice cream.  And with cheese, a lot of time we just buy cabot brand because their cheese is LF for the most part.  But good on you!  

[ktmoomau]

Man, I haven't posted in a while... we have been super busy so I haven't cooked a lot, but I did make steak, roasted carrots, japanese yam hasselback style with soy and wasabi sauce.  

I also made flatbreads with oven dried tomatoes, white sauce, olives, roast beef and kasseri cheese.  I have to have made more than that, I just can't remember.  Likely amalgamations of leftovers.  

[dcandohio]

4 minutes ago, ktmoomau said:

So I am lactose-intolerant, and it isn't the same as dairy-free.  I mean you have already made the mashed potatoes, but...  For mashed potatoes, I normally use either Horizon or Spring Valley lactose free milk, and LF margarine (there are other brands, fyi...) sometimes I add some Parmesan cheese.  Likely by the time it is made into panko, the lactose has been processed out.  Mainly, I can't eat without a pill (although everyone is different), regular milk, real butter, soft cheeses, cream, ice cream.  And with cheese, a lot of time we just buy cabot brand because their cheese is LF for the most part.  But good on you!  

KT:  he gets really, really sick if he has any dairy products.  Lots of the margarine brands actually have milk products in them even though they are labeled as vegetable oil.  He can't have any Parmesan cheese.  He won't eat things like breadcrumbs or beef stock that have whey on the label as an ingredient.  Normally I just avoid the whole thing when I'm feeding him by making basic food, like grilled steaks, that aren't an issue.  But we were all craving mashed potatoes!