Jump to content

Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog


JPW

Recommended Posts

salade niçoise

homemade bread, toasted

A salsa of diced red peppers, diced nectarines, diced red onion, diced jalapeno pepper, and lime juice

Grilled swordfish with lemon pepper

Baked sweet potatoes with butter and pepper

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Watercress, basil, and strawberry salad dressed with drizzles of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, plus a generous grind of black pepper.

Grilled North Mountain Pasture hot Italian sausage, yellow squash, zucchini, green beans, carrots, and yellow cauliflower, topped with grated Parm.

Steamed rice

Kirin Ichiban

Link to comment
Share on other sites

More than two weeks of houseguests has finally come to a close, during which time I did no shopping and less cooking. So I took a gander at the fridge and am kind of amazed at what I was able to throw together.

Fish sandwich: fried tilapia on toasted bun topped with slaw of bell pepper, brussels sprouts, red onion, carrot, and scallion that was quick pickled, drained, then tossed with mayo

Sautee of corn, peas, and tomatoes

Cherries

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Focaccia/Chicago-style pizza w wilted escarole, spring onions, garlic scapes, feta and Royal Trumpets

(Dough the product of a major typo in one of Paula Wolfert's books for olive-oil pastry; froze the misguided batch and managed to salvage thawed glob w yeast, rye and a bit more AP flour)

Black raspberries

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We cooked out on the grill last night (well, the salad and snap peas I made in the kitchen.) The lamb--a Bobby Flay recipe--was delicious.

Romaine radish salad with buttermilk lemon dressing

Grilled pita bread

Yogurt - mint marinated grilled leg of lamb

Sesame snap peas

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mabo doufu using Twin Oaks Tofu extra-firm tofu. I really like the flavor of their tofu -- it is, not surprisingly, the closest thing to my beloved tofu-ya's tofu that I've been able to buy here. I wish they'd make varieties other than the extra-firm, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last night:

Leftover romaine radish salad

Leftover Buffalo-style* chicken wings

Mushroom quesadillas

My husband called this a bar food dinner, and I guess it was. He really loved the dressing for the salad, which was still fine on its second day (other than turning pink from the radishes). The dressing (from a Martha Shulman recipe in the NY Times) had lemon juice, garlic, salt, olive oil, and buttermilk. I thought it was good but not as great as he did.

I had a lot of mushrooms I needed to use (combination of button and shiitake) but only four flour tortillas, so the quesadillas were a bit...overfilled. They were seasoned with some dried thyme and some of lperry's rosemary. I also added some shredded Monterrey Jack cheese to glue them together. They were a little messy to eat but made a fine addition to our bar food dinner.

*Term used very loosely ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A grazing dinner with friends:

crostini

black olive tapenade

smoked eggplant and red pepper dip

fennel caponata

tabbouleh made with wheatberries rather than bulgur

white bean and tuna salad with tarragon, on garden sorrel and frisee

La Tur

strawberries on black pepper ice cream

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shakshouka (Tunisian dish - tomato sauce spiked with red peppers, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, eggs poached in sauce)

Tagine bread (Paula Wolfert's The Food of Morocco, to sop up Shakshouka)

Salad of market greens, tomatoes, avocado.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Buffalo burgers with cheddar on toasted wheat buns

Sweet corn on the cob

Sliced fresh tomatoes

Publix macaroni salad (a sinful treat)

Sauteed onions

I needed a nice summer comfort meal, on the eve of a very stressful work week. I may top it off with an ice cream bar...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Buffalo burgers with cheddar on toasted wheat buns

Sweet corn on the cob

Sliced fresh tomatoes

Publix macaroni salad (a sinful treat)

Sauteed onions

I needed a nice summer comfort meal, on the eve of a very stressful work week. I may top it off with an ice cream bar...

I couldn't get enough Food Lion cole slaw a couple weeks ago in NC. Mr. MV loves any grocery macaroni salad!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I couldn't get enough Food Lion cole slaw a couple weeks ago in NC. Mr. MV loves any grocery macaroni salad!

We were really tired after a trip to the NGA for the fabulous Joan Miro exhibit, so we threw dinner together. Sauteed asparagus, red pepper, carrots, garlic, and lobster pieces, angel hair pasta, fresh basil, and fresh parmesan. Very satisfying.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shakshouka (Tunisian dish - tomato sauce spiked with red peppers, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, eggs poached in sauce)

I had shakshouka twice while I was in L.A. in May: the above recipe in an Israeli chef's restaurant on La Cienega and another version (with a somewhat different name but the same ingredients) with merguez sausage in it in a new place in Venice.

for dinner tonight we had stuffed cabbage (made with savoy cabbage and ground buffalo from the Dupont Market) in a chunky sweet-sour tomato sauce.

cauliflower puree (leftover)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had shakshouka twice while I was in L.A. in May: the above recipe in an Israeli chef's restaurant on La Cienega and another version (with a somewhat different name but the same ingredients) with merguez sausage in it in a new place in Venice.

Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Eastern Food has a shakshouka with merguez recipe.

We have been trying to recreate the shakshouka we had at Dr. Shakshouka's in Tel Aviv/Jaffa earlier this year. We think it's about as close as we are going to get it (or at least how we remember it!). From looking at various shakshouka recipes online the major differance is what spices to add. Some use straight up tomatoes/onion/garlic and some add different combos of paprika, cumin, coriander seed...I actually throw in a pinch of cinnamon, which given the dishes Tunisian/North African roots seems like a legit addition.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Eastern Food has a shakshouka with merguez recipe.

We have been trying to recreate the shakshouka we had at Dr. Shakshouka's in Tel Aviv/Jaffa earlier this year. We think it's about as close as we are going to get it (or at least how we remember it!). From looking at various shakshouka recipes online the major differance is what spices to add. Some use straight up tomatoes/onion/garlic and some add different combos of paprika, cumin, coriander seed...I actually throw in a pinch of cinnamon, which given the dishes Tunisian/North African roots seems like a legit addition.

Both versions I ate had smoked paprika, lots of cumin, and cilantro (plus tomato, peppers, onions, garlic, and I know not what else) and were just delicious.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have been trying to recreate the shakshouka we had at Dr. Shakshouka's in Tel Aviv/Jaffa earlier this year.

Yotam Ottolenghi has a recipe in his books Plenty; the introductory notes talk about Dr. Shakshuka's place, but don't say if the recipe is close to his or not. Still, it's pretty tasty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cheddar [colored vs. flavored] cauliflower salad w parsley, garlic, lemon, anchovies and capers

Last piece of the escarole flat bread

Last of the black raspberries over a scoop of HD salted caramel truffle ice cream

HD's fleur de sel was amazing. This new, limited edition flavor is fodder for ventworms with maybe 6 tiny, mediocre "truffle" (more like cheap, chocolate pieces on par w those in a Whitman's sampler) halves and a teaspoon of caramel swirled in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last night: dinner with a friend

fauxjitos

steamed jumbo artichokes with harissa mayonnaise

cedar planked (over charcoal) Copper River salmon ($10.99 a pound at Costco) with dill-chive butter

scalloped potatoes

avocado-chocolate mousse with coconut cream

2010 Domaine Dupré Regnié vignes de 1918

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ Grilled cheese here too :), along with fennel & red cabbage slaw, and broccoli cheddar chowder. I had assembled crab cakes (and made the slaw and corn relish) for dinner, but we had to get yard work done and ran late, so grilled cheese fit the bill.

Looking forward to the crab cakes tonight!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7419653534_40b2c938f4.jpg

Roasted yellow cherry tomato soup with purple basil chiffonade.

Shells Yes! crab cakes, sweet, fresh, jumbo lump and local--swimming the day before Mr. MV bought it at the Crystal City market.

Fennel and red cabbage slaw in a creamy citrus dressing.

Corn relish with bacon and bell peppers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Simple small plates off the grill.

Baba ghanouj made with grilled eggplant

Crimini mushrooms grilled on rosemary skewers, chopped and tossed with fresh thyme, balsamic, and coarse salt, served with fresh goat's cheese

Boucheron and crackers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

dinner with the nieces and future nephew-in-law (the sisters are "recovering vegetarians" and one's fiance is an enthusiastic meat-eater):

ratatouille with fresh basil and lemon

homemade nk bread

2009 Mondavi chardonnay (brought by them)

2011 Dom. de Fontsaints gris di gris rosé

mixed grill: eco-friendly chorizo

spice-rubbed rib-eye (costco)

portobello mushrooms topped with spice rub, caramelized onions and aged gouda

fresh corn polenta

2009 Tikal Patriota (bonarda/malbec)

peach crisp with vanilla ice cream

the veggie girls loved the ratatouille (no surprise)--by their description, the previous versions they had eaten were soupy bowls of mush. I make mine by cooking each vegetable element separately: tomatoes, onion, garlic, fennel and aromatic herbs the longest; the eggplant cubed and roasted; the peppers blistered over an open flame; the zucchini quickly sauteed. then all are briefly cooked together for no more than 20 minutes. that way, each element retains its own identity within the stew, and the zucchini retains a bit of crunch instead of being reduced to watery mush.

the "girls" (they are in their mid-twenties) tried and loved the chorizo, and each had just a tiny bite of steak, which they were less enthused about. nephew-in-law-to-be happily chowed down on everything. and we all enjoyed the mushrooms.

for the peach crisp, I macerated the peaches and drained the juices. sauteed the peaches in a bit of butter and reduced the juices in a separate pan, with some ginger juice and peach aperitif wine. only a teaspoon of tapioca starch was needed to thicken when the two elements were combined. I made the crumb coating (almonds, oatmeal, flour, brown sugar and spices) and kept it separated until they arrived, then I topped the peaches and popped the casserole into a hot oven for ten minutes to brown the crumb topping. that way, I was able to assemble the elements in the afternoon, and could serve it with only a brief time in the oven. plus, got that "what's that amazing smell?" when they entered the house.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Grilled whole chicken legs with homemade bbq sauce

Grilled chicken hotdogs on potato buns

Quick cucumber pickle relish

Sriracha deviled eggs

Potato salad

Baked beans

Sour cherry - pistachio crisp

Ice cream sandwiches

I discovered that Giant brand cookies are a good texture for making ice cream sandwiches, not too crispy and not too soft, just about the right size in diameter. I used Dutch cocoa chocolate (? I think) cookies for these, along with Ben and Jerry's vanilla. The sour cherry crisp was a Martha Stewart recipe and came out really well. I'm full :) .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After participating in the largest 10K in the world, and then drinking in the pool all day, I didn't think I could manage anything more complicated than the microwave. So...

TJ's BBQ brisket

Habanero lime tortillas

Fresh salsa

Lots and lots and LOTS of water

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My husband braved the heat to grill pork outside last night. He said that it was too bad it was so miserable out there that he couldn't enjoy inhaling the aroma as the meat cooked. The pork chops were amazingly juicy, moist and tender, the best pork chops we've had in ages. The chops had no impressive pedigree--they came from Union Meats at Eastern Market--but the results were fantastic. I used the dry rub on them that I had made for the pork belly recipe I was sort of following and then they had some homemade bbq sauce brushed on as they cooked. We will definitely try this again.

The rest of the meal was cold:

Salad Caprese

Brown bread with butter

Leftover cold buttermilk cucumber soup

Grilled pork rib chops

Grilled pork belly

Leftover potato salad

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We've been in summer salad time for a few dinners now, and biking has us eating the heaviest meal at breakfast, so things have been light. A few recent ones that were particularly good:

Quinoa, black beans, feta, and sun dried tomato in an herb vinaigrette.

Purple cabbage and carrot slaw in a peanut/lime/sesame dressing. The carrots are from the garden and are fabulously sweet in this heat.

Sun Gold tomatoes with purslane and goat's cheese in a lemon/olive oil dressing, with thanks to the WaPo food section for reminding me I could pull a weed and make a nice meal. Sun Golds and purslane from the garden.

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...