Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[Pat]

Honey roasted salmon
Pea puree
Pumpernickel bread
Saute of red bell pepper, zucchini, bacon and grape tomato

 

[dcandohio]

Beef filet crusted with a "BBQ" rub (smoked paprika, sugar, garlic, salt, etc.) and grilled

Cremini mushrooms sautéed with garlic and finished with some port.

Tiny Yukon gold potatoes steamed and tossed in butter.

[Pat]

Salad of romaine, radicchio, cucumber, and bacon; homemade thousand Island dressing
Chicken chili mac and cheese

 

[bettyjoan]

Roasted chicken, rosemary roasted tomatoes, and cheesy grits.  Yum.

Roasted a second chicken for meals for the remainder of the week.  There's something very satisfying about doing it myself rather than buying a (smaller and drier) rotisserie bird from the supermarket.

[Pat]

We have a big surplus of eggs and cheese right now. Last night was a spinach, bacon, ricotta, and Muenster frittata, served with roasted cauliflower, onion, and tomatoes.

[Pat]

Broiled lamb loin chops
Bacon
Buttered lima beans

I really should start making salads again but have gotten tired of having them every night.

 

 

 

 

[bettyjoan]

Grilled chicken thighs in a marinade of chives, tarragon, sage (all herbs from the garden), olive oil, mustard, garlic, and some preserved lemons that I made a few weeks ago.  Turned out awesome.

Served with a cold lentil, beet, cucumber, and goat cheese salad.  Nice and light!

[Pat]

I've done a couple of long braises recently: slow-cooked beef short ribs over cannellini bean and tomato-beef ragout and miso-braised pork shoulder and carrots over soba noodles with scallions, garlic, ginger, serrano pepper, and hot pepper sesame oil.  There was some broiled halibut topped with guacamole and tomato in there too, along with spinach salad with mushrooms, bacon, and honey-mustard dressing.  The leftover halibut made for good fish tacos for Saturday lunch.

We've also been making our way through a pack of buttermilk biscuits from the bakery at Eastern Market.  I don't really love that bakery but some of the breads they sell are pretty good.  It's usually a last-minute option for me rather than a go-to, but their buttermilk biscuits were a favorite of a friend who died last week, so I bought some for sentimental reasons. She was a Southern girl and thought these were especially good.

 

[Tweaked]

This wet dreary weather has extended my Indian cooking time (I usually stop making India food when it gets too hot...kind of ironic...high today in Bangalore, 90 degrees).

Rajma Chawal - Red kidney bean curry

Kodava Mushroom Curry - A mushroom curry from the Coorg region of Karnataka.  Super easy and delicious (I find that you don't need the 3/4 cup water)

Dal - Red lentils with onion and greens.

Tomato, Cucumber, mint Raita. 

[Pat]

Last night was turkey meatloaf, baked potatoes with sour cream, and steamed broccoli.  I left the meatloaf in a little too long and it was drier than it usually comes out. The leftovers should be okay with gravy of some sort.  I still have some beef gravy left from the short ribs and might try that.

[dcandohio]

Lettuce tacos made with ground turkey (seasoned with cumin, chili powder, oregano, garlic, and some hot salsa) topped with pepper cheese, sour cream and salsa.

Salad of cubed jicama, cucumber, avocado and cilantro dressed with salt, lime and agave syrup.

Mango sorbet.

[Pat]

Green leaf lettuce, cucumber, and Campari tomatoes; honey-mustard vinaigrette
Baked casserole of cremini mushrooms, cubed chicken breast, and rainbow chard in a white sauce

 

 

[Pat]

Roast chicken with lots of lemon
Roasted cauliflower with za 'star
Whole roasted carrots
Buttered corn on the cob

 

 

[Tweaked]

Home made pan pizza, they call it Upside Down Sicilian.  ie:  bread-ier crust, sliced deli mozzarella, sauce, pecorino cheese (in that order).  Baked at 550 degrees for 12 minutes.

 

[Katya4me]

Kheema and rice. 

[Sundae in the Park]

2 hours ago, Katya4me said:

Kheema and rice. 

How was this recipe? Looks easy and very family-friendly. 

[Katya4me]

57 minutes ago, Sundae in the Park said:

How was this recipe? Looks easy and very family-friendly. 

Very much so.  We've made it a few times and enjoyed it each time; just adjust the cayenne to your family's preference level.  

[Pat]

Sourdough rosemary bread with butter
Baked pappardelle with broccoli rabe, rainbow chard, chard stems and cheese sauce (ricotta, cottage, piave, and cheddar)

The cheese sauce also had eggs and dried oregano. I sort of riffed on an Armenian noodles and cheese dish I make often, supplementing with the greens.  The combination mellowed out the broccoli rabe.  This also helped use up the last of some chard, all of the chard stems, the dregs of a ricotta container and all of a past-its-date cottage cheese container.

 

 

[Josh]

Chicken shawarma (from here). I made the yogurt/tahini sauce from here, and loved it. It will definitely be the new standard accompaniment to the chicken.

Cauliflower & chickpea salad w/ dill, parsley, & capers.

The shawarma has become a regular in our rotation.  Adults love it, 3 year olds love it, and now we know that 10 month olds do too.  Super easy, and delicious, even with a short 1-2 hr marinating time.

[DaRiv18]

Hey, just wanted to let my friends know that I've made a date to make the Mississppi Roast tonight, with a stick of butter and homemade ranch dressing.  I know I shouldn't, but I just can't help myself.  If you don't hear from me, you'll know what happened.  

[Josh]

12 minutes ago, DaRiv18 said:

Hey, just wanted to let my friends know that I've made a date to make the Mississppi Roast tonight, with a stick of butter and homemade ranch dressing.  I know I shouldn't, but I just can't help myself.  If you don't hear from me, you'll know what happened.  

I await your review on pins and needles. I have been so curious, but couldn't take the plunge.  You are a brave, brave man. 

[DaveO]

4 hours ago, JoshNE said:

I await your review on pins and needles. I have been so curious, but couldn't take the plunge.  You are a brave, brave man. 

Why are you so reluctant on this recipe after seeing its remarkable slow growth through social media all having occurred without hype???   hmmm....it reminded me of a delicious pot roast recipe from years ago with slow cooking and dried seasonings....possibly it included a package of french onion soup ingredients.     

 

Dang.  What I recall it was easy, tasty and it included less expensive cuts of beef, possibly a packet of french onion soup ingredients...and another "packaged" ingredient or two.  Damn...it was very tasty...and was a gift from the slow cooker world.

[Sundae in the Park]

Cod chowder. It's still nice and cool here!!

 

[Pat]

Soft chicken tacos (corn tortillas)
Restaurant-syle "Mexican" rice

 

[dcandohio]

Farfalle with a sauce of Italian turkey sausage, broccoli rabe and puréed San Marzano tomatoes (with the usual seasonings of onion, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, etc.). 

Simple salad dressed with lemon juice, Dijon and olive oil.

[DaRiv18]

21 hours ago, JoshNE said:

I await your review on pins and needles. I have been so curious, but couldn't take the plunge.  You are a brave, brave man. 

It was sort of like observing a couple presidential candidates in this upcoming election, in its outrageousness.  And yes, certain elements please me and speak to me.  But, this is not a dish that can be a staple of any responsible diet, and I felt a bit saddened about the state of America afterwards.  Pretty darn easy to prepare, though.

[DaveO]

30 minutes ago, DaRiv18 said:

It was sort of like observing a couple presidential candidates in this upcoming election, in its outrageousness.  And yes, certain elements please me and speak to me.  But, this is not a dish that can be a staple of any responsible diet, and I felt a bit saddened about the state of America afterwards.  Pretty darn easy to prepare, though.

Again I used to make a dish somewhat like this, a pot roast of sorts in a slow cooker with flavorings provided by prepackaged ingredients.  I made it multiple times.  It was very easy and very tasty.  Others enjoyed it.  I forget the exact ingredients.  I had zero concerns about packaged flavorings.  Admittedly I'd still do it.     I also noticed in some readings about this now popular recipe there are alternatives suggested with fresh alternatives to the packaged ingredients.  The writer suggested the end result tasted the same and the extra time involved in preparation was negligible.  

Aw hell, I'll probably try the Mississippi Roast as suggested in the most standard version recipe.  It reminds me of something similar to what I used to do and used to work.  Hell, maybe I'll try it with fresh ingredient alternatives if it tastes good.

[DaRiv18]

To me, the outrageous elements were adding a stick of butter and ranch dressing to an already fatty cut of beef.  Whether you use pre-packaged or not, that can be adjusted to your taste.  I don't think you can sub-in kale juice effectively for the butter/ranch and it still be the same thing!

[DaveO]

23 minutes ago, DaRiv18 said:

To me, the outrageous elements were adding a stick of butter and ranch dressing to an already fatty cut of beef.  Whether you use pre-packaged or not, that can be adjusted to your taste.  I don't think you can sub-in kale juice effectively for the butter/ranch and it still be the same thing!

Hah.  Kale juice --> now that would be different!!!

But I got you.   Didn't think through the recipe enough.  The butter and ranch does add a lot of fat to a fatty meat.  Didn't think through the fattiness factor and when I saw the reference to ranch dressing I assumed it was for an entirely different taste element.  

But what the heck.  I'm intrigued that it got so popular via a natural progression in social media....and I have "experience" with these slow cook roasts that had turned out pretty well in the past.

[Pat]

On May 17, 2016 at 0:58 PM, DaRiv18 said:

Hey, just wanted to let my friends know that I've made a date to make the Mississppi Roast tonight, with a stick of butter and homemade ranch dressing.  I know I shouldn't, but I just can't help myself.  If you don't hear from me, you'll know what happened.  

I looked at the recipe and it does look awfully fatty, but where's the other half stick of butter coming from? Am I completely missing it in the recipe? Sifton mentions a stick of butter in the headnotes but seems to be introducing a modified version of the recipe (e.g., homemade ranch).

[DaRiv18]

Ha, the stick of butter just stood out in my head, and that's how I made it!   I did skim a lot of the "gravy" off, there is quite a bit of that (now I know why!).  Most recipes do call for the stick of butter though, my main purpose of this was to see what all the fuss was about.  This would be a good meal if the chuck roast was for like 12 servings, but it is supposed to provide 6, and I'd think I'd rather have a burger instead because I can trust myself to order just one burger.

[Pat]

Leftover Chicken leg
Leftover Mexican rice
Sauteed tofu with mushrooms, garlic, and ginger

 

 

[Pat]

Reused the leftover tofu marinade (it made way too much) to marinate some flank steak.  Broiled the steak and cooked up some onions and peppers like I was making fajitas.  All that got plated over quinoa, along with the last few pieces of leftover tofu.  Plus green salad on the side.

 

 

[DaveO]

On 5/20/2016 at 5:20 PM, Pat said:

Leftover Chicken leg
Leftover Mexican rice
Sauteed tofu with mushrooms, garlic, and ginger

On 5/22/2016 at 5:31 PM, Pat said:

Reused the leftover tofu marinade (it made way too much) to marinate some flank steak.  Broiled the steak and cooked up some onions and peppers like I was making fajitas.  All that got plated over quinoa, along with the last few pieces of leftover tofu.  Plus green salad on the side.

I do lot of leftovers.  Weirdest one last week, left over eggplant parm and leftover stir fried chicken mixed together w/salad.

Leftover fusion???

[ktmoomau]

Ever since coming back from vacation I have been baking and cooking a fair amount.  I bought a lot of asparagus at the farmer's market last week, but should have bought even more.  Over the weekend I made Paris shaped pasta (it was a gift, I didn't have any penne, it worked) with tomatoes, garlic, chorizo, artichokes and spinach.  Hubby who doesn't love artichokes ate this happily and got seconds, woot.  I also made a Food52 recipe of spring veggies, melted leeks and potatoes with a tarragon butter, which we ate with chicken breasts, but would be a great meatless monday meal, I didn't have the cream in the recipe so I used regular milk.  I also made sticky buns, asparagus with lemon and feta for my friends who just had a baby that I took over with peruvian chicken and rice that I bought.  

[Pat]

On May 22, 2016 at 0:03 PM, DaveO said:

I do lot of leftovers.  Weirdest one last week, left over eggplant parm and leftover stir fried chicken mixed together w/salad.

Leftover fusion???

I mix and match whatever I've got. Not wasting food trumps complete coherence in culinary theme for me, though I do try to make things fit together.

[Pat]

Wednesday; 
Spinach - bacon- artichoke dip with toasted baguette slices
Roasted Salmon
Roasted Asparagus 

Last night:
Salad of green leaf lettuce, bacon, and cucumber; champagne caper-vinaigrette
One-pot braised chicken thighs with mushrooms, onions, and rice

Both the salmon and chicken (Bell & Evans) came from Yes! I don't buy that much meat or fish there, but it's always very good quality and packaged in small portions that are enough for us for a single meal but not hugely expensive.  I'm sure at the unit price feeding a bunch of people would get costly quickly, but it's great for a fill-in purchase between big shopping trips.

[ktmoomau]

Ended up with a lot of extra chicken from El Pollo Rico (long story).  Last night was roasted asparagus from the Farmer's Market with lemon, feta, garlic and leeks (I had been craving this since I made it for a friend), leftover chicken, kale with garlic tahini dressing and the last bit of the homemade baguette I made.  This no-knead bread method I learned doesn't make my favorite bread ever, I will work on that, but it is so easy to make and keeps so well in the fridge that it makes having fresh bread when you want it very easy.

[dcandohio]

Tonight I taught my first cooking class for a non-profit  based in a church that sponsors a community garden.  The church also has a food pantry, and in order for people to get food from the garden or the pantry, they have to take a certain amount of classes at the church.  One series of classes helps them to make meals or dishes that utilize the items in the food pantry and the garden, and that are simple and inexpensive to prepare, and healthier than fast food. 

Tonight's meals, based on eggs as the focal ingredient, were deviled eggs made with yogurt instead of mayo, and individual omelettes made in muffin tins (broccoli and cheese).  I made a few rookie mistakes, like forgetting to have all of my utensils handy before class started, but otherwise it went really well and people liked the food.  I have been observing the volunteer chef for several sessions, and he thought I was ready to take over the reins with my own class.  It was fun, and I can't wait till I do another class in two weeks.

[DaveO]

Eggplant and tomato stew.  Of all dishes served at Afghan Kabob in Arlington/Courthouse neighborhood this is the dish I most enjoy..  Mine is not quite as good.  Back to Afghan Kabob for another taste test and then back to the recipes and drawing (cooking) board!!

[Pat]

Last night:
Yogurt with fresh apricots, honey, and toasted sliced almonds
Baked chicken breast sandwiches on toasted whole wheat buns, with romaine, colby jack cheese, and bacon
Leftover rice, mushroom, onion, and tomato skillet topped with chicken-broth-poached asparagus and fried eggs

Some other recent meals:
Roasted Chickpeas with Pimenton
Tzatziki
Breaded turkey tenderloins
Linguine with meat sauce [beef and hot pork sausage]; topped with Parmesan cheese

Spinach-artichoke dip with Carr’s wheat crackers
Fresh tuna salad with shredded Napa cabbage on whole wheat buns [leftovers stuffed in avocado halves for next day's lunch]

Cheeseburgers on whole wheat buns
Heinz baked beans in tomato sauce

(I still have two whole wheat burger buns left from the package. I surrender. They're going into the freezer.)

 

 

[Al Dente]

Tony's (Fair Lakes) leftover pizza heated by hand on imported free range pizza stone with humanely raised organic red pepper flakes and artisanal Cholula hot sauce.

[ktmoomau]

9 hours ago, Al Dente said:

Tony's (Fair Lakes) leftover pizza heated by hand on imported free range pizza stone with humanely raised organic red pepper flakes and artisanal Cholula hot sauce.

How soigne!

[dcandohio]

Skirt steak marinated in red wine, soy sauce, siracha, garlic, maple syrup, pomegranate balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

"Clear the frig" salad with Caesar dressing

Strawberry shortcakes. 

[Pat]

Romaine salad with cucumber and avocado; champagne-caper vinaigrette
Garlic - cheese bread
Baked penne with meat sauce and Parmesan

[DaveO]

1 hour ago, dcandohio said:

Skirt steak marinated in red wine, soy sauce, siracha, garlic, maple syrup, pomegranate balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

"Clear the frig" salad with Caesar dressing

Strawberry shortcakes. 

Wow, great sounding marinade.  How was it?  What proportions for the ingredients?   (and how were the strawberry shortcakes?   )

[dcandohio]

2 hours ago, DaveO said:

Wow, great sounding marinade.  How was it?  What proportions for the ingredients?   (and how were the strawberry shortcakes?   )

I never measure. Sorry! I guess I had about a cup of wine. Probably next by volume is the soy sauce (maybe 1/4 cup) and then a few glugs of maple syrup. Siracha to taste (I like spicy). Maybe a tablespoon each of vinegar and oil. A clove of garlic smashed and chopped. It's hard to go wrong, for a red meat marianade, with the basics of red wine, soy, sweet (honey, maple syrup, marmalade), spicy, garlic. I add the vinegar to help tenderize, since I was cooking skirt steak which might be tough. The oil keeps the meat from sticking on the grill. I've used this basic method forever. Sometimes I sub Dijon mustard for soy sauce, keeping everything else the same. Also delicious.

The shortcake was baked by my local grocer, and it was more of the "Bisquik biscuit" variety than the airy, round things often displayed by the berries. I liked it. I just sliced the berries and added a bit of sugar. I let them sit for a couple of hours before serving. We didn't even have whipped cream and no one complained!

[Pat]

Chinese noodle soup [made from recipe on the Chinese noodle package]
Caramelized pork tenderloin with raisins
Brown rice
Steamed broccolini

 

[Pat]

Leftover garlic - cheese bread
Romaine salad with red and green bell peppers, celery, avocado, and feta; white balsamic vinaigrette
Turkey meatloaf topped with bacon
Baked smoked gouda - green chile mac and cheese

I had extra unsauced penne from the casserole I made Thursday (cooking the whole box was overkill for the amount of sauce I had made), so I used it in mac and cheese last night.  Since I had only half the amount of ground turkey on hand I usually use for meatloaf, I made one to fit in a small foil loaf pan I found in a kitchen drawer. I followed my usual basic procedure except used some freshly made bread crumbs (stale half baguette I forgot about) as a binder. More crumbs went on top of the mac and cheese, even though I usually don't top with those. I've got the bread crumbs, so I might as well use them.  If they sit out, they'll get moldy. If I put them in the freezer, I'll forget about them and find them again only when they smell like the inside of the freezer.

[ktmoomau]

Last night was some really good jumbo blue crabs, potato wedges, grilled zucchini and vinegar slaw with cabbage and kohlrabi.  Walking back into the house after making strawberry jam earlier was torture though, I should have made dessert.